The Skywalker Triplet
by crazypandagirl
Summary: Padme died, but gave birth to a second daughter, named Amidala in her honor. Soon after, Obi Wan sends her away to Earth, homeplanet of the Force, where it is also completely negated. When Vader finds her, he becomes closer to the man he once was, and wishes that he had never brought this fate upon his family. The Force heard his wish, and he is finding the path to fix it all...
1. Chapter 1

No POV

The human girl runs from the stormtroopers chasing her around the neighborhood, blasters at the ready and set to stun. She hikes up the flimsy white skirt of her Princess Zelda costume as she runs down the dark street, the only light provided by the missed shots issued from the blasters and their resulting fires. One of the shots comes dangerously close to hitting her, hitting the ground just behind her heels, making her scream and run slightly faster in fear. Another hits the gas tank of the car just next to her, causing an explosion. With another scream, she's sent flying, the blonde, crowned wig of blonde hair flying from her head, long light brown hair spilling down her back as she lands harshly on the ground.

"You idiots!" the squad leader shouts at his men. "She's not to be harmed!"

They approach the injured girl sprawled on the asphalt, blinking blearily at the world around her as blood runs down her cheek from a cut in her scalp. She manages to focus on them just enough to moan in pain as she shuts her eyes. "Wh-who a-are… y-ou?" she gasps, before her eyes roll up in a faint.

The leader pulls out his comlink and dials in the frequency for the man who ordered them to hunt down this girl. He answers almost instantly. " _Do you have the girl?"_ the imperious, angry voice asks, forgoing any form of greeting.

The stormtrooper clears his throat nervously before answering. "We have her, but a missed shot resulted in an explosion."

" _What?!"_ the man, now furious, shouts at the stormtrooper. _"What is her condition?!"_

"Sh-she's unconscious, most likely has a concussion, but no burns, sir," he answers nervously, stuttering a bit in his haste. "There does not appear to be any form of permanent or long term injury to her."

" _Get her to the ship at once, trooper,"_ the man on the other end growls. _"I'll await your return in the hangar bay."_

"Y-yes, Lord Vader," he replies as the call is ended. He turns to the rest of the squad, finding a couple of his fellow troopers rolling the unconscious girl over to examine her for injuries. "Let's get moving, he's waiting for her arrival."

"Yes sir!" they salute him, before one of them lifts her in his arms, another making sure to grab the deceptively heavy bag and wig from where they landed in the explosion, as they clear the area, leaving only the destruction of their hunt behind to mark they were ever there, to be discovered in the morning.

The girl opens her startlingly blue eyes slowly to find a bright light shining directly over her, illuminating the white walls of the room she's been left in. She turns her head slowly to find a monitor on the right side of her soft bed, her bag and wig left on the table behind the device in plain sight. A hissing sound catches her attention from the other side of her bed, and she rotates her head around to find a tall man wearing a black suit, covered with a back cloak with the hood up to cover his face.

They gaze at each other for a moment before he comes to stand next to her bed. "I see you have finally decided to wake up."

She frowns, her blue eyes clouded with confusion. "Where… am I?" she asks hoarsely, clearly hesitant, before she tries to swallow, finding her throat to be uncomfortably dry.

He stares down at her, almost as if in disbelief. "You are perfectly safe, young lady."

She blinks up at him, slightly irritated. "But where? My parents are probably freaking out right about now!"

As she tries to push herself into a sitting position, his hand shoots out, holding her down by the shoulder. "You need to rest, you hit your head fairly hard last night."

"But my parents-!" she resists, although weakly.

He cuts her off with a harsh tone in his voice. "They are not your true parents, young one!" She falls silent, allowing him to calm himself before continuing. "You were wrongfully taken from your true family by them, in their desire to hide you from your father."

"How do you know all this? How do I know you're not just making all this up?" she asks slowly, frowning up at him, able to catch a glint of yellow glittering through the darkness of his hood.

He sighs and holds up a datapad for her, where she finds a blood analysis report. "I had the med droid run a blood test on you when you were brought to the ship, and found a blood match to someone I thought to be long dead." He allows her to sit up slowly, though remains standing at her bedside.

She frowns, finding her blood to be matched to another, one that is missing a picture identification. "So my name is actually Amidala Shmi Skywalker… not Robin…" She scrolls to the side to find a paternity file. "My parents?" she asks, looking up at him for permission.

"Your… mother is dead, and you were thought to have died with her," he informs her, remaining vague with the details. He gestures to the datapad in her hands.

She obediently peruses the document on her mother. "Padme Amidala Naberrie Skywalker, deceased for just over fifteen years…" she whispers under her breath as she reads. "… buried on home planet of Naboo in Naberrie family tomb." She looks up at the hooded man, somehow knowing that he doesn't appreciate this topic. "What was she like?"

Despite himself, he can't help but feel like he's talking to Padme once again, and smiles slightly. "She was an amazing woman, and would have been a great mother."

She smiles to herself before going on to read the file on her father. "Anakin Skywalker, better known as Lord Vader…" she gulps, seeing the image of the hooded man at her side in the picture slot. She slowly looks up at him. "… you're my…?" she asks, shock in her eyes.

Vader nods slowly, smirking in a way he hasn't in a long time. "You have her personality, you know," he tells her softly. He then points to her wig with his mechanical right hand. "And please tell me, why were you wearing a wig, and that outfit?"

She looks at the purple top, covered in dirt, ash, and a bit of blood. "Oh, it's a traditional activity every year to go trick-or-treating on Halloween night. I was with a couple of friends in their neighborhood for a party when those men found us." She picks at the hemming of the top of her shirt, a bit self-conscious. "Uh, I was dressed as a princess from one of my favorite video game series this year."

He shakes his head. "Well, that explains why they were saying everybody was dressed so strangely while running from house to house in their reports," he mutters.

She raises her brow at this. "Like any of you are ones to talk. What's with that armor, and your choice of clothes, anyway?"

"Enough of this talk. You may use the refresher to get cleaned up, and there is a set of fresh clothes in there for when you finish." A knock at the door catches his attention. "Enter," he calls in a cold voice, one that chills Amidala.

A man, several inches shorter than Vader and dressed in a gray uniform with black hair tucked under a hat, steps in. "My Lord, I am sorry for the interruption, but the Emperor demands you make contact with him at once."

He nods and stands up a bit straighter, if it were possible for him to do so any more than he already was. "Make sure not to interrupt me again, Admiral."

"Of course, My Lord." He steps out once more, leaving father and daughter in peace.

"I will be back shortly, I must update the Emperor regarding the search for you," he informs her, excusing himself as he follows the Admiral out of the room, headed to his communications chamber.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, known locally on Tattooine as Crazy Old Ben Kenobi, droops slightly as he senses a change in the Force. "So you were right, Padme. There is still good in him, after all," he whispers, looking out over the desert, casting another shield over young Luke Skywalker once more as his Force presence tries to break free and become the beacon he could have been without his shielding.

Okay, prologue is up for my first Star Wars story. Hope you enjoyed.

I do not own Star Wars.


	2. Chapter 2

No POV

"Amidala?" Lord Vader calls to his daughter from outside her room aboard the Star Destroyer _Executor,_ in their private family suite _._

From within, she calls, "One moment, Father!"

He sighs, before checking the time on his datapad. "You're putting us behind schedule, the Emperor is demanding an update on your lessons."

Rolling her eyes at his impatience, she uses the Force to shove her datapads into a satchel on her bed, meanwhile finishing braiding her waist-length, light brown hair. "You're the one to blame! You told me I should keep my hair long, when I said it would be easier and faster to go with shorter hair!"

With a chuckle, he shakes his head at her casual accusation, knowing it to have been all too true. "You like your hair long, and it's a better look for you as it is."

Tying off the braid with a long, black satin ribbon, she pulls on her standard issue military boots, reaching to just under her knees, before straightening the black tunic and leggings of her uniform before grabbing the hovering bag and running to the door, using the Force once more to open it. "Yeah, but I still would prefer a more practical style, Father."

With a sigh of annoyance, he hands her the dark blue cape in his hands. "Let's just get to this meeting, child."

She throws the long cape over her shoulders with a flourish, grabbing the hood and pulling it carefully over her head just enough to hide her hair, eyes, and nose in the shadow. "Of course," she murmurs with a wrinkled nose, dislike clearly etched onto her features. "How long is this meeting to last, anyway?"

"As long as he wishes to keep us in his presence. You will have to prove to him that you are still worth keeping around to train as a Sith, I am sure."

She heaves a great sigh. "I know you both want me to become a Sith, but… I'm not so sure I can actually do it. I know I use my emotions a lot, yet I'm just too lenient and forgiving. He won't allow me to live when he realizes that."

He sets his mouth into a firm line, white around the edges. "Convince him that you are working on hardening yourself to this life, and becoming more of what he expects. He may be willing to overlook this aspect for now, as you have only been under my care for two months, but soon there will be no acceptable excuses."

"I know, Father," she mutters quietly as they leave their family suite, emerging into the dimly lit, metal halls.

She follows her father's lead, kneeling with her head bowed to the Emperor on his raised dais, seated on his throne as per usual. "What is thy bidding, my master?" Lord Vader gives his customary greeting to Darth Sidious.

The Sith Emperor casts his cold, golden gaze upon the father and daughter kneeling to him. "Rise, my apprentice," he bids Vader, not yet addressing the quiet girl kneeling still. As Vader rises to his feet, he rests his gaze on his apprentice. "How has her progress gone in these past two months, Lord Vader?"

"She has been making tremendous progress in learning the ways of the Force, my master," Vader articulates carefully. "Although being on a starship constantly has been of little help, she has excelled in the use of a lightsaber."

"Good, Lord Vader," he coldly praises, his gaze shifting to the still kneeling Amidala, to the left and jest behind where his apprentice stands. "Rise, young one." She obeys instantly and silently, her face remaining straight even though her knees protest from the sudden movement. "Tell me, what is your opinion of this… Rebel Alliance?"

She faintly smiles, though without any warmth. "The Rebel Alliance is too weak at this point to be a major threat to your power, my liege, although if left to their own devices, they will become a costly nuisance."

"And what of their tactics, child?" he probes, wanting to find all that she can deduce for himself, given the praise of her tutors and Lord Vader.

She shakes her head in disgust. "Suicidal, sloppy, and disorganized. They stand a minimal chance of improving, based on their poor pilots, or they do not have a tactical advisor that knows what they are doing." With a hidden frown, she continues, "While they pose a minimal threat as of now, any spies who they may somehow get into our military, or any defectors of a higher rank, would most definitely give them a better chance of becoming more than a nuisance."

He turns his cold gaze onto Vader, a small smirk of… maybe pride, or accomplishment, on his ancient, mutilated lips. "You don't give her enough credit, Lord Vader. To determine the circumstances under which the Rebel scum would become a threat is most impressive, as well as a basic analysis on their patterns of attacks and losses as of this time."

"I was not fully aware of just how extensively she had been studying the battles, my master. Perhaps you could enlighten us, Amidala," he orders her, even though it's spoken as a suggestion.

She bows her head, acknowledging both her father and his master's praise. "I had thought that, by learning of what their tactics were, our military might be able to better counter them in battle, and possibly predict when and where they will attack next, my liege," she murmurs smoothly. "To do so would prove to these Rebels that the Empire will stand by its word, and will defend those loyal to the Empire. Thus, we would gain the advantage of holding on to those who may be losing faith in this Empire, and bring some Rebels back to being loyal Imperial citizens."

"Yes, very good. I was hoping you would prove your worth eventually, but now I feel I have a chance to alter my plans." He rises from his throne slowly, before leaning on his knotted cane to walk down the steps, stopping only as he comes to stand a few feet in front of Amidala. "You are to continue training under Lord Vader, as well as further your studies with your tutors."

"As you wish, my liege," she murmurs humbly, pleased with his decision, and feeling her father's dim glow of pride through their Force bond.

The Emperor then turns to his apprentice once more. "You are to travel to the Outer Rim territories and put her knowledge to good use. I have foreseen an encounter with the Rebellion that will occur there soon, and wish for her to observe this battle from the command bridge."

"It will be done, my master," he salutes, bowing to Palpatine, an action quickly mirrored by his daughter, before they turn around and enter the open turbolift. The second the doors shut behind them, he breathes a sigh of relief. "That went much better than I had anticipated."

"Hah, you're telling me? I thought I was done for in there, Father," she breathlessly informs him, tone incredulous. "But why in the galaxy would he want me to continue training under you? Wouldn't he rather me train to be a Sith under himself?"

Vader shakes his head. "Amidala, you have much to learn yet, but I have a feeling he has a greater interest in you than grooming you to be a tactical officer, as he has let on."

She snorts, completely disbelieving. "Yeah, whatever you say. I just… I don't think the life of a Sith is exactly the best path for me. All I really want is to just… live my life out in peace." She gazes at him questioningly, her clear blue gaze piercing into his own, yellow tinged eyes. "Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes," he murmurs, "I do."

Luke Skywalker, in the middle of the desert landscape of sand, sighs as he closes the panel over the wiring to the vaporator he's just finished repairing for the thousandth time. The 'assistant' droid, malfunctioning due to the heat, is stashed in the passenger seat of the speeder parked in the minimal shade provided by the equipment, barely shielded from the rays of the twin suns of Tattooine.

"Luke," a voice greets him from behind.

He whirls around, a hand on his blaster, before grinning widely at the sight of the hooded figure approaching. "Ben! Hello," he returns the greeting jovially, glad to have a reason to take a break before moving on to the next malfunctioning piece of farming equipment. "What brings you out here?"

The aging man simply smiles. "I merely wished to see how you were doing." He eyes Luke carefully. "I heard in town that you have been acting a bit oddly lately. Is there something you wish to share?"

The farmboy grimaces. "Well… I can't really explain it, but lately I've been feeling a bit restless, like I need to get out there and find something. Maybe like there's something I'm missing, a presence in my life, but I can't put my finger on it. Whatever it is, it's been bothering me more lately than it used to when I was little."

The disguised Jedi hums in acknowledgement. "Perhaps there is something for you outside of this life, perhaps there is not, young Luke. But, before I make any assumptions, can you tell me why this matter is bothering you now, when it didn't before?"

He shrugs in response. "I don't know, it's like something has changed. And then… well, I'm sure it's nothing… I recently had this dream, where I watched a man in a dark cloak standing over an injured girl's bed. Maybe like a father, but he seemed… cold, and hopeless… yet they were both… somehow I thought I ought to know them." He shakes his head. "I'm just rambling now Ben, I'm sorry."

The Jedi shakes his head, offering a consoling smile. "Whatever it is, I am sure it was nothing more than a dream, Luke. Don't let it bother you too much, alright?"

The fifteen year old nods slowly. "I'll do my best, Ben. And thanks… for talking to me about it."

"It is the least an old man can do," he replies humbly, before waving goodbye and turning to start the journey back to his small house far off in the desert.

With his back now to the boy, he frowns with great worry. A darkly dressed man? Of course, there are many possible people that it could have been. However, there is only one man that those feelings could have come from: the Sith Lord Darth Vader, formerly known to the galaxy as Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Yet, there was also another mystery now added to the mix- the girl. There is only one girl that this could have been, yet it should have been impossible.

The third child, removed from Padme after she was too weak to push the third child from her body, the one he had named in honor of her mother, who died mere seconds after her birth. He had sent her to a system nearly forgotten, where there had been an experimental colony set up in the early days of the Republic, on the planet long abandoned after the first Jedi clan left their world of origin. It had been thought to be a failed project to recolonize when communication became impossible to reestablish thousands of years ago. But in his travels, he had discovered there to not only still be human life there, but different, more primitive technologies in comparison to that of the rest of the galaxy, detected by his scanners three decades ago.

When the triplets had been separated, he had sent a refugee couple to the planet to make new lives for themselves with the child, posing as a lower class family with an infant to care for. He had lost touch with the couple years ago, but the last he had known of the girl Amidala was that she was the sweetest little girl with a stubborn streak to rival that of both her parents, and her father's reckless nature. He had no other information to go off of, not even a description beyond eyes identical to her father and brother, but nothing more.

He sighs to himself. If only he could have known of a better way to hide the brightest, yet most tainted beacon in the galaxy. Let alone find her again.

Well, things are escalating quickly. Now you know some of what is going on in the history of this extreme AU, and I'm getting excited about where this is going. Please leave a review with any comments, questions, or advice, which I will (hopefully) remember to address in the next chapter of this story. I plan to leave this up for a week or so before I update again, so please don't hesitate to leave me a message! Constructive criticism is welcome, and I am now posting stories on , my pen name is the same as on this site, if you are interested in a couple of dark poems and a story that I have written, in which my character dies a painful, but swift death.

I do not own Star Wars (don't we all wish we did? It would be awesome)


	3. Chapter 3

No POV

Darth Vader and his apprentice daughter, Amidala, stand side by side at the window of the starship's command bridge, gazing at the fleeing vessel over the sanctuary moon of Endor. "Tractor beam will be ready in a moment, my lord," a lower ranking officer, Lieutenant Firmus Piett, informs his commander.

The dark lord nods. "Good, send the squadron to force them into range."

"They are preparing for flight, sir," he replies, saluting before walking off to the officer handling the piloting.

"Your plan has proven to be most effective, Amidala," Vader quietly praises his daughter.

She bows her head slowly. "I only learned from the best, Father," she murmurs in response, smile hidden by the shadows of her hood. She then frowns. "Father, they are inputting calculations for a jump into hyperspace." Her eyes scrunch shut.

He frowns as he comes to the same realization. "Lieutenant, get that tractor beam locked on now!"

"It's ready, my lord. But the ship isn't in range," he answers fearfully, voice wavering slightly.

"Father," the girl beside him hisses, grabbing his attention. "I've disabled the hyperdrive, but they'll fix it quickly!"

"Pilot, maneuver this starship closer to that vessel, before they make their repairs," Piett orders the pilot shakily, knowing that their commander might start suffocating people if he didn't try to assist.

Vader, seeing his daughter struggle to enforce the use of the Force on the ship, hurries to immerse himself in the Force, willing for it to further damage the ship, a small transport by the looks of things. He brushes up against her mind gently, encouraging her to maintain her focus. _You are doing well, but I will take over damaging their engines further. I want you to convince them to give up quietly,_ he whispers directly to her mind.

Her Force presence hums in acknowledgement. _Yes, Father. I think they are weak willed enough for me to handle,_ she whispers, before he can dimly sense her mind gently nudging that of the five people onboard the small vessel, directing them to sit calmly rather than finish making their repairs or preparing any weapons to fight back once they are boarded.

By the time they come back to themselves, the ship has been brought into an empty hangar bay. Amidala, though still standing, is clearly exhausted by the effort put forth to salvage the mission. Vader, barely fazed by the effort, nudges her presence into a more alert state. "You will come with me to inspect the vessel, then you may rest, Amidala."

She nods weakly. "Thank you for helping me, Father."

He grunts in acknowledgement, before turning to lead the way out of the bridge. "Lieutenant, you will accompany us," he calls before they pass through the doorway.

The summoned man gulps, fearful of what may become of him, before jogging to catch up to his commanders. He catches them at the end of the hall. "What was it you wished of me, Lord Vader?"

The dark lord flicks his gaze to the nervous man, slight amusement in his eyes. "I wished to discuss a transfer with you. Particularly for you and a few select officers."

Amidala, noticing the sudden fear radiating from the older man, shakes her head. "Father, stop tormenting him."

He sighs, before straightening his posture. "You have performed well under Amidala, and am pleased with your performance from before her arrival as well. The Emperor is putting her in command of a new starship next month, and you have recommendations from many of your superiors to qualify you for this transfer, and a promotion."

"P-promotion, my lord?" Piett gasps, fear trumped by the awe and pride at the offer.

The fifteen year old Sith Apprentice covers her mouth to seal in her laughter. "Yes, promotion. I want you to be the Admiral of my ship when the time comes." He stares at her in shock, so she continues. "I respect you for your ability to take command in tight situations, the way you talk to those under your supervision, and how you are willing to openly speak when you feel there may be a better way to accomplish a mission."

"And I feel you are trustworthy enough to watch over Amidala when she is not under my supervision," Lord Vader adds.

Piett straightens his own posture as they step into the turbolift to take them down to the hangar. "I am honored that you think so highly of me, my lord, my lady."

The doors slide open at the hanger, and the stormtroopers salute as their commanders enter the room, though immediately return their gaze to the closed vessel parked in the middle of the hangar. "They are refusing to open their boarding ramp, sir," the squad leader informs them at Piett's frown.

"And you still haven't figured out how to break into this vessel?" he returns coldly.

The stormtrooper hesitates before replying. "We were waiting for orders, sir. One of my men has been working on hacking their system to override their control of the ship."

The ramp suddenly opens, releasing the yelps of surprise from within. Amidala and Vader simultaneously draw their lightsabers, igniting their matching red blades. "Troopers, we will take it from here," Vader orders them quietly, following his daughter into the darkened lounge of the vessel.

They find five hooded figures sitting quietly in their seats, trembling with fear as the red light fills the room. Amidala, reaching out with the Force, recoils almost violently. "Father, I know these people," she snarls, stepping up to rip the hoods off the two figures closest to her, turning off her lightsaber.

The hoods tear away sharply to reveal close cropped hair, black peppered with grey strands for a darkly tanned man with light blue eyes; the second hood reveals graying blonde hair and darker blue eyes, set in a pale face. The rest lower their hoods before she can rip the fabric off for them. The girl next to the older woman reveals chocolate brown hair and the greenest eyes possible in a pale complexion, set under long bangs hanging over a small nose. The next, a boy, has platinum blonde hair and shocking blue eyes in an almost pasty complexion. The last, another boy, has pure black hair and nearly black brown eyes, stares up at Amidala with fear and confusion. The last three are all her age.

She steps back with shock etched into her features. "Father…" she whispers hoarsely, turning her hooded gaze onto him. "They're from…"

The last boy to have revealed himself continues to stare at her. "Robin? Is that you?" he asks tentatively, slowly rising to his feet.

She steps further away from them, and Vader steps in front of her protectively, blade directed at the rising boy. "Don't come near her," he warns darkly. The boy falls back into his seat heavily, fear strengthening at the threat. "Why are you in this system?"

The clearly aging man meets his gaze calmly. "We are looking for a friend, and wish to take her home," he patiently informs the dark lord.

The hooded young girl, hearing this, tears off her hood, previously warm blue eyes colder than ice. "You would dare to look for me, after everything you've done?" she growls from behind her father, who revels in the rage rolling off of her in waves.

He glances behind Vader as Amidala glares at him. "You don't understand, Robin," he implores gently.

"It's Amidala, _Dad,_ " she spits, sneering at him.

"Amidala," he corrects himself hastily. "You're overreacting to this whole situation. We were going to tell you everything soon, I swear we were."

She reignites her lightsaber, keeping the red blade down at her side. "Am I? You're not in any kind of position to argue, when you know you could have- hell, should have!- told me the truth from the start!"

"Amidala!" the girl next to the woman cries out. "Please, they explained it to us! They wanted to tell you from the start, but they couldn't!"

She stares at the girl. "Stay out of this, Kaylee, and you will be taken home safely," she orders the slightly younger girl, who leans back silently. The blonde next to her opens his mouth to object, but she glares at him. "The same goes for you, Mark, Hunter," she includes the darker haired boy, who was about to speak as well.

The woman shifts her gaze from the red blades illuminating the chamber to the furious eyes of Amidala. "It wasn't even our idea to withhold the truth, Amidala. We were just trying to find a safe home, and we were given you by the Jedi for your own safety." She flicks her gaze to Vader. "I did everything I could to ensure her happiness as she grew, Lord Vader. You should know, she was always in the garage tinkering with something mechanical or other, as I heard you once had."

He glances back to his daughter to see her gaze soften as she gazes at the woman who had raised her. "Amidala, how do you want to deal with this?"

She gazes coolly at the group before her. "They should just be escorted home, I believe. They are hardly a threat, and will not ever become a threat."

"Ro- Amidala, you can't do this!" the boy, Mark, cries out, jumping to his feet.

Vader uses the Force to press him back into his seat. "You will not resist us, or I will throw aside the regard my daughter has for you, and execute you on the spot," he growls.

For the first time, she feels guilty as the threat is made, for these people had only ever been her friends.

Obi Wan Kenobi stares up at the sky, feeling a ripple in the Force, one extremely powerful, and filled with regret. "Amidala, what have you done?" he whispers, before running into his house.

He sits in front of the communications port and dials in the emergency frequency to alert Alderaan, and Bail Organa, that he needs to talk immediately. He doesn't have to wait long before Leia, the very image of her mother, answers. "Hello? Who is this?" she asks, gazing curiously at the image of the unfamiliar old man.

He shakes his head. "I have no time for pleasantries. Where is Bail?" he asks quickly, half of his attention on the Force, and the rest struggling to stay with reality.

"He'll be here in a moment, he wanted me to find out who was using this code," she murmurs in answer. Noting just how tense he is, she asks, "Sir, are you alright?"

"No," he answers shortly. "Your life may be in jeopardy, Leia. And so might be another's."

"What?" she gasps, as Bail steps into the room behind her. She whirls on her adoptive father with wide, fearful eyes. "Father, what's going on?"

Bail takes one look at the comm unit and pales slightly. "He's found her, hasn't he?" he asks, ignoring Leia for the moment.

"Yes, and something is happening with her. I felt a shift, this one more powerful than the last one," he informs the Viceroy. "I need you to bring Leia with you to pick us up here, and we all have to go into hiding."

He nods solemnly. "I understand that, but I must remain with my people. To leave the Senate seemingly on a whim at this time would mean the death of my people."

Obi Wan sighs. "I understand Bail. At least ensure that Leia reaches me here. I will go about collecting the boy, and hopefully his guardians. It is time to tell all." He ends the transmission, and rises to look around at his small, messy desert house. "Oh, by the Force. You Skywalkers are the bane of my existence."

Opening a large chest, he pulls out several lightsabers, and holds one more carefully than all the rest. This one has a brilliant sapphire blade and a gleaming silver hilt, one that belonged to his former Padawan, and would now go to the boy he had been watching over for the past nearly sixteen years.

Oh family, what a joy! The purest source of drama in the world, isn't it?

I don't own Star Wars


	4. Chapter 4

No POV

A small Alderaanian transport docks in the spaceport, passing all the proper landing codes. The princess of Alderaan steps out of the vessel, disguised as the copilot in a standard Alderaanian uniform. Nobody looks twice at her as she and her pilot make their way out of the docking area, and rent a speeder from the shadier side of town.

As they race across the desert, her pilot frowns at their computer. "There's nothing out this way but a moisture farm, your Highness."

She frowns. "Maybe we could ask for directions to find this… Lars family, whoever they are." She lifts the datapad closer to her face to read it clearly, shading the screen with her hand. "They have a nephew who lives with them, a Luke Skywalker. That man, General Kenobi, said he would collect him when he contacted us."

The pilot nods, and they ride on in silence. An hour passes, and they find themselves hopping out of the speeder in front of a small homestead. An older woman, with graying dark blonde hair, steps into the doorway to greet them, slightly taller than Leia and wearing a worn out set of clothes, slightly grease stained.

"May I help you?" she asks as the two step up to her.

"Yes, we were a little lost. Do you know where we can find the Lars family?" Leia asks politely, uncovering her hair to relieve her head of the heat.

The woman takes on a wary posture, reaching for a comlink in her pocket. "I am Beru Lars. What do you want with us?" she asks, slightly fearful that these may be Imperials after Luke.

Understanding the misunderstanding, Leia raises her hands in a placating manner. "Mrs. Lars, we are not Imperials. Actually, we were contacted by a common friend who said he would be by to collect your nephew."

Beru breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. Ben said you would be by soon. He's inside, and Luke is packing a bag in his room." She turns and gestures for them to follow her in. "Ben will be glad to hear you have finally arrived."

The door to the suite the group had been thrown into swooshes open, then shut just as quickly as Amidala, tense and furious, marches up to the man she had called her father all her life. Stopping in front of him, she raises her hand and slaps him in the face. "What are you thinking, trying to break out of here like that?!" she screams at him, slapping him again.

The others watch pensively as the scene plays out, missing as she winks and slips a card into his shirt. "Amidala, whatever do you mean?" he asks innocently.

She narrows her eyes as the doors open again, admitting Darth Vader. "Amidala, that's enough," he scolds her. Acknowledging him, she steps back from the other man. "They will all be dealt with soon enough, I assure you my daughter."

"Forgive my outburst, Father," she murmurs.

He inclines his head, flashing a smirk to the stunned group watching. "Let us leave, I wish to test you with the lightsaber again."

"Of course," she drawls, and follows him out slowly, a small bounce in her step for a couple of paces, enough to cause the credit chips to fall off of her boots from where they were lightly attached under the soles.

She follows her tall father along quietly to their private gymnasium, outfitted with dozens of deactivated battle droids lining the walls, a cushioned floor mat in the center, and a panel to lower beams and crates to create an obstacle course around the perimeter of the cavernous room. They both toss their dark cloaks off to the side in a careless heap, before casting off their heavy duty boots.

Unclipping their lightsabers from their belts, they take up opposite sides of the mat, stepping up to the red circle. "Well, Amidala? Did they get what you wanted to deliver in the time I delayed?"

She smirks as they ignite their sabers at the same time. "Why, Father, whatever could you be talking about?" she answers all too innocently, eyes wide, but with a grin to match his own in his younger days.

He shakes his head as he swings vertically at her, which she almost lazily blocks. "I'll take that as a yes then, you rascal."

"Me? A rascal?" she laughs as she skips backward to dodge her father's strike.

He laughs as well, chasing after her and realizing just how easy she finds it to keep up with his pace in this practice duel. After keeping up the pace for nearly an hour, he signals for the duel to end. "Your skills are quite impressive, Ida."

She gives him a warm, happy smile. "Ida? I think I like that nickname… Dad."

He gives her an equally warm smile, though one nearly undetectable. "I think I prefer being called 'Dad' over 'Father,'" he murmurs, switching off his weapon. "And I do believe that you have learned all that I have to teach you about battling with a lightsaber. All you really need to learn now is to really expand your use of the Force."

Her smile nearly vanishes. "But… I'm not sure I'm quite ready to learn much more yet, Dad."

He steps up to her and takes away her lightsaber. "Ida, I think you are more than ready to learn. Besides, you really just need to learn to focus and control it." At her incredulous look, he emphasizes. "You use it unconsciously all the time, when we're dueling, when you distribute orders, on any kind of search. You displayed your potential when we captured your guests by disabling their vessel, even minimally."

She bows her head and leans forward into his chest, and he wraps his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on top of her head. "I… I'm scared to learn any more, Dad," she whispers almost brokenly. "I'm losing myself the longer I'm here, under the Emperor's influence. I don't want to be a Sith, but I'm already becoming one."

Something in him revolts at the idea of what he's willingly put his child through already, mixing with the guilt of knowing that he's the one responsible for starting her descent to the Dark Side, forcing her to follow in his footsteps. His fists clench as he holds her tighter, and a tiny part of him realizes that, even though this isn't something a Sith would do, it is something that a father would always do for his child.

He holds her for a while longer, before stepping away and leading her silently to their discarded cloaks and boots. Even after they have their boots on and hoods up again, he remains silent, leading her away to her room to clean up and go to bed.

All the while, there are only two things to take up his mind: what would Padme have done, and would he be able to get his daughter away from his Master's influence?

In hyperspace, on their way to join the Rebel Alliance, Obi Wan flinches. It doesn't go unnoticed by Luke and Leia. "What is it, Ben?" he asks, concern in his bright blue eyes.

He looks at the boy, so much like his father, with a small smile. "There has been a change in the Force. One for the better, at long last."

Leia frowns at them in confusion. "I still don't understand any of this Force business, General."

He smiles at her. "You've been rather sheltered by Bail, and have next to no knowledge of the Jedi Order, Leia."

She huffs. "I still have trouble believing that my actual parents were Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala Naberrie."

"Let alone that we're siblings, our father is alive, and there is _still_ another sibling under Darth Vader's control." He frowns then. "But, where has she been all this time? Surely you would know," he asks the old Jedi.

He sighs, sadness and apprehension showing in his slumped posture. "She was the one I sent away with a refugee couple soon after the three of you were born. As far as I ordered them, they were to go to the Venusian System, supposedly a failed re-colonization system for the past several thousand years, and thus forgotten." He meets their eyes. "The one planet that could support life, and was used for the experiment, was teeming with life when I got a little sidetracked three decades ago. According to ancient Jedi history, that was the system where the Jedi Force abilities originated, and it gave off a neutral shielding for any use of the Force, and detecting anyone on the surface who was Force Sensitive. That was the only reason I thought to send her there, to keep her from encountering the risk of falling to the Dark Side."

"But why would she have fallen to the Dark Side?" Luke asks. "Wouldn't we all have an equal chance of falling?"

He shakes his head sadly. "She was already touched by the Dark Side, probably being the one to intercept the influence of Palpatine, rather than you two or your mother. From what I could see of her future, she would be fiercely protective over her family and friends, and would do whatever it takes to ensure their safety." He meets their eyes with a small gleam of pride battling away the sadness. "Even though she was born last, she was definitely the toughest of the three of you."

He pulls out a holo, switching it on to show them a short video of her laughing at the camera, light hair in twin tails on either side of her head, three missing teeth, and rolling in the grass. _"Happy birthday Mommy! I love you!"_ she calls to the camera as she rolls to a stop, a sweet, giant grin on her chubby face.

Leia smiles at the little girl in the video. "She's the sweetest thing," she coos softly, eyes glued to her slightly younger sister.

Luke shakes his head. "She's something, that's for sure." He has a fond smile on his lips, and he glances over at Leia, mischief in his eyes. "At least I'm the oldest," he taunts her.

She growls before diving at him, like the child she still is at heart. "And that means I can blame everything on you!" she growls as they fall out of their seats on their side of the table, laughing as they wrestle as they should have been able to as kids.

And still as ignorant of the truth of their parents as ever.

Had to throw in a sweet moment all around. I don't own Star Wars.


	5. Chapter 5

No POV

In the night cycle, Vader looks into his daughter's room to find her in a nest of blankets, mostly hidden under the thick blankets she curls into. Her hair is carelessly strewn over her pillow, already creating knots that she will complain about for the three minutes of brushing them out in the morning. But he feels something is wrong with her, that she isn't as alright as she claims to be.

With a frown of concern, he kneels at her bedside, finding her hand to be nearly off the bed, peeking out from her blankets. Placing his warm left hand over hers, he gently prods at her Force shields, finding them to be as strong as ever, yet bending at the familiarity of his own presence. Before he realizes it, he's falling through her mind.

 _He finds her laughing with a group of teenagers in a cozy living room, playing some game where one of the kids looks like a fool miming something horribly, when a knock surprises all of them. A boy, who he realizes is Hunter, steps up the door, pushing aside the thin fabric to find someone standing just outside the door._

" _I'm going to the bathroom real quick," Amidala, in her clean costume and tidy wig, whispers to her friend Kaylee, before rising and dashing off to a room down the hall._

 _He turns to the door as Hunter opens it a crack. "Hello," he greets the dark, hooded stranger. "May we help you?" he asks._

" _Yes, I am looking for someone here," his own voice informs the boy coldly._

 _He blinks, and glances back at the others in the room, who shrug, before returning his attention to the man standing outside. "Sir, who is it you might be looking for?"_

" _My daughter, Amidala," Vader growls, before Force pushing the boy away from the door, and a scream echoes through the house, before the girl of his attention runs into the room, bleeding from a blaster wound to her shoulder._

 _She stops at the sight of him, staring for a moment. He takes a step in her direction, making her turn around and run straight at a window. She jumps through the pane of glass, shredding her skirt as her wig falls off, revealing her light brown hair._

 _The dream warps to another place, one he's all too familiar with: the Emperor's throne room on Imperial Center. She's in her shredded costume, slightly bloody, and her hair a total mess, kneeling before him, trembling in fear._

" _Lord Vader," Sidious's harsh, grating voice echoes through the chamber, and he sees himself rising from directly in front of the throne. "She is of no use to us." The Emperor raises his hands, and blue, crackling Force lightning lances from his fingers straight for the helpless girl kneeling before him._

 _She screams in agony as the first bolts meet her flesh. She collapses into a writhing mess on the floor, tears streaming from her eyes, her screams bloodcurdling and fear inducing. Her body lets off smoke as her faintly tanned skin blisters. "Daddy!" she screams, over and over. "Make it stop!" she begs._

 _The Vader by the throne doesn't even flinch. "You are no child of mine!" he growls, fury in every line of his body._

 _Her screams increase in pitch, as blood leaks from her nose, ears, and mouth. "Now you see the truth, you weakling!" Sidious cackles, before letting up on the lightning._

 _She gasps at the sweet, agonizing relief of the end to the electricity, but her breathing picks up in speed, as her heart flutters in her chest. Her eyes flutter as tears of blood trace a path down her cheek. Her blue eyes, echoing her pain, take on a glassy shine. The Vader watching the nightmare tries to go to her, to hold her close, but finds himself trapped in place, forced to bear witness to this cruelty._

 _The Emperor turns to the other Vader. "Finish her, Darth Vader," he orders his apprentice._

 _The heartless man draws his lightsaber, and holds out his hand towards his daughter. He lifts her, almost gently, into the air, not choking her like the countless victims the watching Vader thinks of. She floats in the air, hazy blue eyes searching for him as he steps up to her. He ignites the lightsaber, and holds the red blade right before her heart._

 _She only smiles faintly at him, acknowledging her fate. "Do it," she whispers, almost too quietly to be heard, yet still echoing throughout the chamber. "Destroy me, the failure," she implores._

 _With a snarl, the other Vader plunges his blade through her heart, up to the hilt. His hands shake as she gasps at the pain finishing her off. He leans forward, catching her body as he releases her and turns off his weapon. "You weren't a failure," he whispers._

 _The Vader watching the scene tries to cry out, to force an end to the grotesque, horrifying nightmare, not wanting to see his precious girl die at his own hands anymore. Wishes desperately that she never had to fear that this would happen to her, praying even as it fades to a whooshing darkness that he could fix all of this._

He wakes up with a gasp, and finds his daughter in tears, hand pulled from his to clutch at her pillow as she sobs. Nearly in tears himself, he reaches out to her. "Ida, I'm so sorry," he whispers, feeling the darkness loosening its grip on his heart and mind. "You're okay, Ida, I would never hurt you," he whispers, pulling her away from the pillow and into his arms.

She clutches him close, face buried in his shoulder as she cries, body trembling in her fear. "I-it w-was s-s-o r-re-eal," she gasps between shudders.

He holds her close. "I know, I know. But I won't ever let that happen to you, I promise. I would never intentionally harm you."

He stays there, her holding him tightly, as she slowly calms down, him shushing her and rubbing her back in soothing circles. She pulls out of his grip carefully, wiping her eyes and cheeks of her tears, before meeting his gaze carefully. "I'm scared to go to sleep again, Dad," she whispers, almost childishly.

He nods sympathetically, rising to his feet slowly. "Why don't we get something to drink?" he offers.

She nods slowly and tosses aside her blankets, showing that she wore only a tunic and shorts to bed, rather than a nightgown as he had somewhat expected, but not truly anticipated.

The other two of the triplets wake screaming from their shared nightmare. Obi Wan, having felt their distress, rushes into the bunkroom of their transport. "What's wrong?" he asks the deeply shaken siblings.

Gathering himself and sitting upright, Luke takes in a deep breath. "A nightmare, where a girl was being chased by a man in a cloak, and was hurt. Then it turned into a great room, all black paneled and hardly lit. She was kneeling, when the man in a throne raised his hands, and attacked her with lightning."

Leia stares at him as she continues in a shaky voice, "Then, the man denied that he was her father, and then he stabbed her through the heart with a red lightsaber."

Obi Wan pales and sinks into the bunk next to Luke, who scoots over to give him more room. "This is most disturbing," he murmurs to them.

The two trade looks. "What do you mean? Who was that girl?" Leia asks.

Luke blinks, face paling. "Is she… our sister?" he guesses.

Sadly, Obi Wan shakes his head. "Without having seen her myself, I couldn't tell you for sure."

The siblings shiver, the screams echoing in their heads endlessly.

Okay, depressing and not in the least bit flowers and rainbows and whatnot… but that's just how I am.

I do not own Star Wars


	6. Chapter 6

No POV 

The Shadow

Vader watches over her as the next few weeks pass as she takes command of the Shadow, and is greatly disturbed by the change in his little girl, from the once sweet, happy girl, into a half dead shell of who she had been. Her eyes are where the greatest change lie: empty, haunted blue eyes so like how his own had once been. Her sweet smile is gone, along with her welcoming demeanor, replaced by a constant frown and barely tolerant behavior.

Even Piett has begun to worry for his Commander. He is one of the few that she finds herself able to talk to anymore, and the two men one day discuss whether it would be a good idea to have her sent back to her homeplanet… permanently.

Her breathing erratic and face pale, she suffers through yet another nightmare, this one just as bad as the first, only this one is different, in that she watches as two people, a boy with blonde hair and bright sapphire eyes, and a girl with dark, earthy hair and chocolate brown eyes, fight against an army for their lives. An army that she leads, holding her red lightsaber up in triumph as they weep for the dead comrades all around them even as they fight their hopeless battle.

Amidala's eyes shoot open as she forces herself back into consciousness. Vader is gone from her room, no doubt trying to sleep after staying awake well into the night after the first round of nightmares had plagued her.

Giving up on sleep, she throws her sweat soaked blankets away and climbs out of bed, going to the closet for a fresh set of clothes, then making a beeline for the refresher for a shower. She sheds her loose nightclothes into a careless pile on the floor, not bothering to look into the mirror to see how much darker the circles under her eyes have become, how much weight she has lost, from the nightmares leaking into her waking life.

The water runs barely warm over her overheated body as she sits on the floor of the shower, slowly scrubbing away the remnants of the nightmares. The images continue to play themselves out in front of her eyes, granting her no relief or sparing any of the painful details of the death all around the two figures.

The feeling of loneliness fills her mind as she looks at them in her mind's eye. They have each other, and depend on one another to make it through their battle. She only has her father, but even he can't fill that void that's found its way into her very soul. She knows something is missing, the thing that can make all of this better, and save her before she decides she can't handle any more of what her 'destiny' has in store for her.

Home One

"Ben," Luke begins nervously.

The Jedi, sensing something off about the boy, gestures for him to join him at the table in the cafeteria aboard the Home One. "Tell me what is on your mind."

Luke takes the seat quickly, but with a heavy sigh. "Something isn't right, I can feel it, and so does Leia."

"Can you elaborate on this feeling? What is it that feels off to you?" he asks slowly and patiently.

"Sorrow, and sometimes we feel so utterly alone, even when we have everyone we could ever want around us," the young man explains. "It's almost like that feeling I used to get on my birthdays, when I wished that father were still with me, and for something more."

He frowns deeply, worry the only thing Luke sees in his eyes. "Perhaps Amidala is not as alright as I was hoping she would be, after all," he muses to himself, before returning his full attention to the boy next to him. "Luke, perhaps you and Leia could help her through your Force bond."

The boy's eyes nearly bug out of the sockets. "Is that even possible?"

"I don't even know," Obi Wan admits sadly. "But if her distress is getting to both you and Leia, then perhaps sending back to her feelings of contentment, love, and reassurance could be just what she needs."

"Can't we just go and rescue her, Ben?" he implores yet again. "She can't deal with whatever she's living with now, what if something drastic happens to her?"

He sighs. "Luke, I've already explained this to you, it's far too dangerous for you to even attempt that kind of an operation under Vader's nose. It would mean either a swift death, or prolonged torture to you and Leia if you are caught in the attempt." He levels a wary look at the impulsive teen. "Vader must not know that she has even a single living relative, for it would mean an excruciating death at either his hand, or that of the Emperor."

He bows his head submissively. "There's nothing else we can do?" he asks sadly.

"I'm afraid the time for action is not now, Luke," he replies morosely, sipping at his nearly forgotten mug of tea. "But it will soon be."

Luke frowns in confusion. "What do you mean? Does it have to do with that mission High Command is trying to talk Han into doing?"

Leia comes running up to their table. "Yes, it does Luke, and he just agreed. You and the Rogues will provide cover and a diversion, while he docks on the Shadow. Obi Wan, Chewie, Han and I will be onboard the _Millenium Falcon,_ so we can pick up the informants, and possibly recover Amidala." Her grin grows as his does. "Get suited up, we leave as soon as the Rogues are ready for flight."

The Shadow

Warmth spreads through every nerve of her body as she brushes her hair, not discomforting, but not familiar enough to be entirely soothing, as she is sure it's meant to be. _Amidala,_ a voice whispers in her mind, kind and warm, definitely from a young man and a young woman.

She looks around carefully, before setting down her brush. _Who is this? How are you in my head?_

 _My name is Luke,_ the young man introduces himself, though conveniently forgetting to answer the second question.

 _I'm Leia,_ the girl follows up. _Obi Wan's told us about how you were separated from your family when you were born. We were in the same situation as you were._

Amidala flinches at their knowledge of her. _Who's Obi Wan? Does he know Vader?_ she asks, wanting to know how and who knows everything about how she wound up in this situation.

The boy sends another wave of warmth through her, though this time much more gently than the previous. _He's a friend of ours, though he says that he's not on great terms with Vader._

 _What's going on with you?_ Leia inquires, and Amidala can almost feel the boy's impish grin. _We've felt your distress for weeks, and only just figured out how to reach out to you._

 _The nightmares… the fear of what could happen if I don't prove myself… Back home, everything I knew was so simple, and I've been falling apart. Just… nothing is right anymore, but I have nowhere else to go,_ she calls to them, even her mental voice cracking as tears fill her eyes. _I'm not right. This place is turning me evil!_

Invisible arms wrap around her, enclosing her in what she could swear to be a natural, easy hug. One that she can almost remember, but that's just out of her reach. _Hey, it's alright, Amidala,_ the girl whispers to her mind, love burning through their bond to soothe away all the pain. _Listen, they are only dreams. If you haven't suffered that nightmare in real life, then you know it can't happen._

 _But… it's so real! And they don't leave me alone when I'm awake,_ she cries, sliding down the wall of the refresher to sit on the cold, tiled floor.

 _I know, but you have to remember that they are just dreams,_ Leia whispers, and it feels as though another set of arms wraps around her in another familiar embrace. _We have to go for now, but if you ever need us again, just call for us, and we'll be right there._

 _Okay,_ Amidala sighs, before sending a bit of her own warmth and relief to them. _Thank you for talking to me, Luke, Leia._

The familiar, yet unfamiliar presences fade from her mind, and she wipes away a tear of relief. After breathing slowly for a moment, she forces herself to rise to her feet, and finish brushing her hair. As the final tangles are smoothed away, she smiles for the first time in a long while.

 _I can live with this,_ she thinks to herself as she steps into her room, tossing her hair into the hands of the Force to weave into a tight braid wrapped around her head.

A knock at her door makes her frown in confusion, not having expected anyone to come by. "It's open," she calls quietly, nudging the door open with the Force to admit her guest.

The cloaked and hooded form of Vader steps in, silent as ever. "Ida," he greets her, lowering his hood. "You are needed on the command bridge, whenever you're ready."

She nods and smooths the wrinkles from her leggings as she rises, calling her cloak to drape over her shoulders with the hood folding itself over her head. "I guess now is as good of a time as any," she chirps, shocking her father tremendously.

He stares at her with wide eyes as she approaches him. "I see you've found your good mood again," he mutters, with a growing smile as he slings an arm over her shoulders.

She smiles and pokes his side, making him flinch away from her. "For the most part," she tells him, rolling her eyes.

"Definitely a better mood," he grumbles as he raises his hood once more, concealing the fading yellow in his bright blue gaze. He leads her out into the hallway, where stormtroopers stand guard at their door in their everlasting silence. The soldiers follow the Force users through the halls, blasters in hand and feet stepping in time. "So, tell me what is going on at the bridge," he orders her.

She doesn't even blink, and hardly has to use the Force to feel the commotion on the bridge. "Piett is dealing with a stubborn officer who won't listen to his orders, and the pilot is steering us towards a planet… in the Outer Rim, I believe."

"Very good," he murmurs his praise. "Yes, we are in pursuit of a small freighter, which we believe may be smuggling either resources or personnel for the Rebels."

"What makes you think they're Rebels?"

He chuckles as the lights flicker in the hall, and the floor quakes minutely. "They have escorts with them, pilots well known for being Rebel sympathizers for some time."

She frowns as the ship quakes again. "Father, aren't the lights not supposed to do that even when we take heavy fire?"

He looks up as they continue to flicker. "They never have in my experience…" he answers slowly, before the floor under them collapses with a shriek of tearing metal. He shouts in surprise as they fall through the newly made hole in the floor, his coming barely a second before Amidala screams as she falls through another floor, whereas he and the stormtroopers barely manage to roll away from the second hole. "IDA?!" he shouts into the dust and debris, using the Force to make the dust and smoke dissipate faster, and only finding a pile of rubble on the lower floor. "AMIDALA, ANSWER ME!" he shouts, using the Force to amplify his voice. Gaining no response from her, he uses the Force to sweep the hall, only to find it empty of all life, only a trickle of her Force signature lingering on the rubble. Turning to the recovering stormtroopers, he orders, "Find her! Now!" he roars, blind to the battle he is supposed to be monitoring from the bridge.

Obi Wan levitates the limp, nearly lifeless form of Amidala into his arms while the dust blocks Vader's view into the hall, and runs for his life _. This wasn't part of the plan to get her away from you, my former Padawan_ , he thinks quietly to himself.

 _Master?_ Luke calls to him through the Force. _The Falcon is just waiting for you now. Leia is telling me that Captain Solo isn't going to wait much longer, though_.

 _I understand, Luke. I'm on my way there now_ , he assures the worried Skywalker.

He feels the palpable relief of the boy before he focuses. _The attack is turning out to be a success, the bombs have done the trick, and all their fighters are trapped in the hangars. Whoever it was that sabotaged that ship is incredible._

He smirks slightly. _Well, they are on the Falcon now, so you'll get to meet the group very soon._

 _By the way, how did they know the frequency to call us and plan this attack?_

He frowns in thought as he ponders the same thing. _That is a very good question, Luke. As well as what has happened to your sister. This wasn't part of the plan for how we were to retrieve her._

Concern nearly floors him, coming from both him and Leia. _What do you mean? What happened?_ Luke asks.

 _I found her half-buried by rubble from two collapsed floors. Someone must have sabotaged the ship even further, I'm just not sure who would have the nerve to do that to the newest ship in the Imperial Fleet under Amidala's command._

Confusion mixes with the concern. _Nobody in their right mind would go against her or Vader._

 _Will you two stop talking like I'm not here?_ an angry, tired voice whispers in both their minds. _Thank you, you're sounding like a couple of mother hens._

Obi Wan chuckles as he looks down at Amidala, finding her eyes barely open. "I'm glad you're alright, Amidala," he informs her.

She groans and shuts her eyes again. "M' 'ead. Wha' 'appen'd?"

"Well, I do believe someone just tried to kill you by collapsing the floor under you, young lady," he chuckles, seeing as her condition isn't keeping her from talking.

"'t wa'n't …'n acciden'…" she mumbles, barely coherent.

He dashes into the docking bay and charges up the lowered ramp of the Millenium Falcon. "That's enough now, Amidala, save your strength." He carries her into the bunkroom, laying her down as carefully as he can before he turns to the door. "Leia, get her strapped into the medical bunk, she's wounded! Captain, we're clear to go!" he shouts as he runs out of the room to find Leia already in front of him.

"Finally!" Han shouts as the ship lurches upward, zooming out of the hangar before the doors can keep them within the Imperial vessel. "This better have been worth it, old man!"

A faint shriek of pain reaches his ears as a small wave of piercing agony washes over him from Amidala. He enters the cockpit in time for Han to start making the calculations for the hyperspace jump. "I assure you it most definitely was." He pulls out his comlink, dialing the frequency for the Rebel pilots. "All fighters, retreat. We have what we came for."

"Copy, General Kenobi," various pilots drone in response, before turning away from their battering of the small force of Imperial pilots and their ship.

"We'll see you at the rendezvous, Han, Master," Luke responds, just before he and the rest of Rogue Squadron vanish into hyperspace.

"Calculations are set, hold on to something!" Han shouts to everyone in his small freighter, before pushing the lever for their own jump. The stars stretch as their jump begins, then turn into nothing but a blue blur as they transition to lightspeed.

Another cry echoes through the ship. "DAD!" Amidala screeches, before insensible screams fill the vessel.

"Shut her up, your worship!" Han growls as he leaves the cockpit under the care of his wookie copilot.

"Easier said than done, nerfherder!" Leia shouts back, strained and frustrated.

Obi Wan hurries back into the room, finding quite a mess from Leia's hunt for a sedative, and the mattresses from the other bunks a mess without any real explanation. "What are you doing, Amidala?" he whispers to himself, before trying to hold her down with the Force.

At his slight use of the Force on her, he finds himself faced with a furious Sith Apprentice, her eyes clearing to reveal blue eyes colder than ice locked onto him, as a tremendous Force push shoves him painfully into a solid wall. "Don't play dumb, Jedi," she spits as her restraints snap, allowing her to rise and approach him slowly, her injuries hardly slowing her down, mostly a limp from her badly mangled right leg. "You're the one responsible for all of this, you did this to me, my family! Take me back right now!"

He shakes his head and attempts to use the Force to break her hold on him, but finds himself unable to break her hold or concentration. "Amidala, if you would just let me explain-"

An invisible hand clamps around his throat in warning, cutting him off. "There is nothing to explain! You've stolen me from my father a second time, I won't allow you to do it a third!" The hand clenches tighter around his neck, cutting off his hope of breathing without hesitation.

"No! Amidala, stop it! You're gonna kill him!" Leia cries out in shock.

The girl in question glares at the princess. "He deserves it for all he's done!"

 _Amidala, don't! He did it to keep you from falling, just like our father did!_ Leia cries out to her mind, meeting the furious gaze with her own shaken gaze.

She is so shocked that she releases Obi Wan and steps back. He gasps as he falls to his knees, loosely holding his throat as he coughs weakly. "'Our' father?" she whispers, just before the pain of her injuries forces her to fall back onto her bed with a grimace. "You're lying," she growls weakly.

Han steps in to find his poor room in absolute chaos, with blood dripping from Amidala all over the place and staining the mattress. Leia is sitting on the floor, staring in shock at the girl, while the old Jedi is only just getting his breath back. "Whoa," he breathes, taking in the mess.

"Amidala," Obi Wan starts warily, slowly rising to his feet, "you must relax, child. You are going to make your injuries worse with all of this."

In response, her body starts jolting, and she instinctively covers her mouth as jolts of white hot agony tear through her chest. She hacks into her hand, blood coming up and dripping from her hand and into her black clad lap.

Almost as though he was expecting it, Han reaches into a nearby crate to pull out a breathing mask and a towel. "Alright, girl, use this," he orders her, pulling her hand from her mouth and covering her mouth with the towel instead. It muffles the coughing, though quickly becomes stained with her bright red blood. Almost hesitantly, he rubs her back in a soothing manner, which clearly helps the younger girl to relax. When her hacking comes to an end, he pulls the bloody cloth away from her, replacing it with the breathing mask. "Okay, just lay back slowly, and keep this thing on."

She nods slowly and lays back down in the bunk, falling unconscious almost the second her head hits the pillow. Han sends an accusatory glare over to the Jedi, who has begun to clean up the nearly destroyed room. "I did not anticipate that she would have such a reaction when I brought her on board, captain."

Han rolls his eyes and sneers. "Yeah, and I didn't expect that all of this fuss would be made for an unwilling passenger on my ship."

Done for now. Later…

Don't own Star Wars… sadly…


	7. Chapter 7

No POV

Aboard the Medical Frigate, Liberty

Luke rushes into the room where his youngest sister lies in a bed, buried under blankets, face covered with a breathing mask, and needles attached to her arms to provide blood and other fluids to her heavily damaged body. He draws up short feet from her bed, and spies an empty chair at her side, one that must have been recently vacated.

Quietly, he takes the seat, and rests his hand over hers, careful not to touch the needles and sensor patch on the back of her hand. "Hey Amidala. Obi Wan told me what happened on the _Falcon_ , and I can't say that I don't blame you for your outburst. But I don't want you to worry, you're safe here. I won't let anything hurt you anymore." He slips his fingers under her hand, and gently squeezes. "Just wake up soon so we can meet one another the right way. Please."

The Executor 

"Rise, Lord Vader," Sidious growls, fury evident in both his tone and facial expression. The cloaked Sith Lord does so immediately, a layer of dust sprinkling the floor as he does so. "You have reported to me that the _Shadow_ was internally sabotaged, and its Commander Amidala Skywalker is officially missing. As well as the loss of a confrontation with the Rebel Alliance in the Outer Rim, which I foretold would occur. What have you to say for yourself for this mess?"

He swallows the dread in this throat and meets his infuriated master's gaze. "I have no excuses, my Master," he whispers hoarsely, blue eyes filling with tears, reflecting the fear for his daughter he refuses to let out now. "I take full responsibility for this incident, and will investigate how this was allowed to happen."

"Take care that you do, Lord Vader. For now, you are to escort the Shadow to the shipyards for repairs, and then return to Imperial Center. There you can begin the hunt for… Anakin's daughter." He cuts off the transmission before his apprentice can acknowledge the order properly.

Vader slowly trudges into his bedroom, tossing his dust coated cloak to the floor and flopping onto his bed. _Ida, where are you?_ he calls to his child.

 _I… Dad?_ he hears her almost whisper back.

He lets out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. _Ida, are you alright? What's happened?_

 _I don't know where I am, but it's really strange. I was floating in some weird fluid for a while, and now I'm in a bed, and droids have been prodding me for a while,_ she informs him.

He almost laughs. _You must have been in a bacta tank, Ida. You're in a medical facility somewhere, and the droids probably want you to wake up._

He can feel her snort. _I've been awake for a while, but they keep the lights on too bright in here. Don't they think of how sensitive a sleeping person's eyes get after a couple hours?_

 _Yeah, the downside to having a droid as your doctor. But if you've been awake for that long, then why haven't you said something to them?_

 _You think I haven't tried?_ He has a sneaking suspicion she just rolled her eyes at him… again. _This stupid breathing mask is annoying me, and doesn't let me talk loud enough for anything to hear me._

 _And you haven't tried moving your hands at all? Or your feet?_ he inquires, raising an eyebrow.

… _um… yeah… that…_ she mutters, almost distractedly.

He raises his head at that. _Seriously? That's the easiest way to show you're awake._

 _No, someone's here. I'll talk to you later, Dad, I promise._

And she's gone, but he has a palpable relief filling his soul. And he realizes something important: the darkness that once consumed him is almost gone. All that remains is the bond with his master.

The Liberty

Luke's eyes widen as her hand squeezes his back. "A-Amidala?" he asks, unsure if this is real. "Are you awake?"

 _I've been awake, Luke. Can you please get someone to turn down the lights? Then I might just open my eyes,_ she hastily explains.

"Uh, yeah, just a moment," he stutters, almost tripping over himself to get to a droid.

"May I assist you, Skywalker?" the med droid asks as it turns its attention to him.

He clears his throat. "The patient is awake, and needs the lights dimmed."

"Right away, sir. I will be there to examine her momentarily." It then rolls off to find the lighting controls, and Luke returns to the chair.

As the lights dim, he swears he can hear a sigh of relief. _Thanks a million, Luke._

He smiles and squeezes her hand again, and her eyes open. "You're welcome, Amidala."

Her eyes, warm for a second, harden as the door opens behind Luke with a swoosh, and Obi Wan steps up next to her. "I see the Force has not sent me astray yet. It's good to see you are indeed awake once more, Amidala."

Her blue eyes narrow, and her fists clench. _Why is he here?_

Luke frowns, and the aged Jedi Master sighs. "There is no need for all this animosity. I do believe Darth Vader got a few of his facts a little bit incorrect."

The droid approaches and beeps in displeasure as he finds her heart rate increasing. "Ma'am, I have to ask that you calm down, or I will have to sedate you." It continues to work on her, checking every other sensor, before pulling away the breathing mask. "If your breathing becomes labored or painful, please use the breathing mask until your breathing returns to normal."

She rolls her eyes, and returns to glaring at the Jedi. "I got it, droid." It rolls away, getting the hint it was interrupting. "What do you seem to think he has wrong in his facts? Besides the fact that you betrayed him."

"What is she talking about? Ben?" Luke, in his utter confusion, asks his Jedi Master. "I thought Vader betrayed you and the Jedi Order."

He turns to his young Padawan. "There are things that I have not found an easy way to explain to you and Leia about your family. Things I still cannot truly accept." He then whirls around, just as a swirling portal replaces the dim ceiling light right above him. "What in the Force is this?"

As the words leave his lips, a mass of dark cloth falls through the portal with a terrified shriek. He barely dodges out of the way as the bundle, what he realizes is a teenage girl, crashes into the floor right where he had just been standing. She groans as she slips her arms through the straps of her heavy bag, and shoves it off her back with quick strike of her elbow, which falls to the floor with a heavy thud.

"Ow," she mutters, pushing herself to her hands and knees as Luke moves his chair to the end of the bed. Now upright on the hard floor, she raises her hand to swipe off her hood roughly, revealing shiny, impossibly tangled curly copper-tinged brown hair with nearly white highlights. Her greenish-hazel eyes take in the scene in front of her. "Uh… what just happened?" she asks, almost stupidly.

Obi Wan simply raises a brow at this. "I do believe you just fell through some sort of portal, young lady."

She gives him a 'no shit Sherlock' look, and sighs. "Well, this'll be fun to explain to my parents. Any chance you can tell me where in the _hell_ I just found myself?"

Amidala laughs wholeheartedly. " _Bekah?!_ Is that you?!"

She gasps and whirls around, almost twirling onto her knees in a way her heavy frame should not have allowed. "Robin?!" she cries out, staring at her best friend in the closest state to shock she could be in, her darkly lined eyes widening. "Where on Earth have you been?!"

Amidala smiles and offers her open hand to the girl kneeling on the floor. "Here, there, everywhere _but_ Earth, it feels like."

"Wha? Not Earth?" Bekah glances around in pure confusion. "Well, I guess the style and technology of this place is a bit different than anything I've heard about back home. It would explain a lot, really." She turns her focus onto Obi Wan once more, and shivers as she sees something over his shoulder.

He looks over his shoulder, but sees nothing there. "Is there something bothering you, Bekah?"

She blinks rapidly, and wordlessly shakes her head. "N-no, it's nothing. Just thought I saw something."

Shaking it off as having been nothing, Luke offers his hand. "Well, I'm sure the floor isn't all that comfortable."

She accepts his hand shyly, and lets him pull her to her feet. "Thanks. I think some introductions are needed. I'm Rebekah Minter."

He smiles warmly in response. "I'm Luke Skywalker, and this is my Jedi Master, Obi Wan Kenobi," he introduces, gesturing to the elderly man merely watching the spectacle given to them from the Force itself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he murmurs, quietly probing her presence, only to be nearly floored. He blinks several times as he quickly shields himself against her burning presence. "May I ask, how do you ladies know one another?"

"This lunatic," Amidala warmly states, mock glaring at Bekah, "has pretty much taken me in as her little sister."

Bekah raises her brow challengingly. "Only because Her Shortness can't take care of herself, it seems."

"Hey, I'm not short!" she cries indignantly.

The brunette just rolls her eyes and pats her head gently. "Keep telling yourself that, you'll always be shorter than me, lil' sis."

At that moment, Leia and Han come in, and stop short at the sight before them: a strangely dressed girl patting Amidala on the head, Luke watching in pure amusement, and Obi Wan frowning in confusion at the events unfolding.

After a moment, Leia gathers herself enough to clear her throat, catching the attention of the occupants of the room. "Who… is this?" she asks, staring at Bekah.

The girl under scrutiny pulls her hand away, and tucks both hands into her sweater pockets. "Rebekah Minter."

Taking the hint, Han steps forward. "I'm Han Solo, and this is _Princess_ Leia Skywalker-Organa, Luke and Amidala's sister, who I am assuming you know fairly well."

"Amidala?" she asks, head tilted to the side slightly and a delicate frown scrunching her eyebrows. "Uh, I don't know anyone who goes by Amidala."

"He means me, ya loony," she informs her friend in a bored tone of voice.

"Hey!" she exclaims, whirling on her friend. "I am not- wait… you mean you have two siblings? And Robin isn't even your name?"

Their eyes lock in utter confusion, before they turn, almost as one, to stare at Obi Wan. The Jedi raises his hands helplessly, hoping to stem the flood of questions he knows is about to be hit with. "I was going to explain all of this when you, young Rebekah, nearly fell on top of me five minutes ago."

She snorts in such an un-lady-like manner that earns her a strange look from Han. "Yeah, and that somehow happened when I was walking out of my house to drive into town."

"Okay, I really have to ask this," Leia interrupts. "How the _kriff_ is your hair such a mess?"

"My hair?" Bekah raises a hand to the top of her head, and sighs. "I knew I was forgetting something!" she mutters under her breath, before raising her voice to answer the question. "I haven't brushed my hair since before I showered last night." She then crouches down to unzip her bag, pulling out a hairbrush with a thick layer of brown hair stuck in the tines. "If you don't mind…" she murmurs, dragging the brush through her hair.

Leia stares in amazement as the curled strands straighten to barely being waves of hair nearly reaching the new girl's waist in under a minute. "Wow," she breathes.

Bekah, uncaring for her audience, turns her attention back to Obi Wan. "Could you get on with your explanations, sir?"

He shakes his head at the sudden prodding of the Force, and settles down in another chair. "Nearing sixteen years ago, my former Padawan Anakin Skywalker found out his wife, Padme, was pregnant. I am as of yet unaware of what happened to cause his fall to the Dark Side, but he became obsessed with power, and increasingly distant. On the day of the destruction of the Jedi Order with Order 66, I saw the security footage from the Temple only far too late, finding Anakin had turned on us, and had slaughtered most of the Masters and Padawans. But I found hope when he stayed his hand against the younglings, hiding in the Council Chambers, thinking he had seen the horror of what he was doing, yet the clones had no such qualms. Few of them made it into hiding in the streets that night."

Amidala crosses her arms with a huff. "Ancient history to me. He already explained all of this to me. Anakin Skywalker pledged himself to Darth Sidious in order to find a way to save our mother from the events of his nightmares, but started losing himself."

"Care to explain the rest of this story then?" Bekah mutters, propping herself against bed.

"I was getting there," she shoots back, before resettling herself. "He told mother where he was going, based on intelligence from an anonymous source, then left for Mustafar. After he had… taken care of the Separatist leaders, she showed up, an emotional wreck from things that Obi Wan had told her that were indeed true. When Father tried to explain it all away, she was horrified at what he had become, and he admitted to me that, in hindsight, he was disgusted at his own behavior. When Mother started to go back to her ship, Obi Wan stepped out, and he snapped, choking her into unconsciousness, the side of him now called Darth Vader taking over his mind and body. Obi Wan got through to him, and he dropped her, then left his lightsaber behind and left, Sidious's warning of danger finally making sense."

Obi Wan merely keeps his head bowed in shame. "I took Padme away the second his back was turned, along with his lightsaber, and departed for Polis Massa. There was nothing we could do but to have her deliver her children when the droids failed to identify what was killing her. But she died only seconds after your birth, Amidala, believing that there was still good in your father."

Bekah, seeing something in Obi Wan, offers a tight smile. "You thought he was completely evil, didn't you? And you've blamed yourself for not seeing it?" His head shoots up at her accusation, only confirming her suspicions. "I can see where you would draw that assumption, but after seeing Amidala just a little tougher than I remember her, I wouldn't be so quick to judge that he is all bad."

He shakes his head as Leia speaks up. "I wouldn't be so quick to judge on your part either. These past sixteen years he has been the terror of the Galaxy, second only to Emperor Palpatine. He's slaughtered millions of innocents, and waged a war against the Rebel Alliance that has been costly on both ends."

She shakes her head. "But the thing is, what is his driving force? His weakness, or something he simply can't bring himself to do?"

Amidala perks up at her friend's defense. "It's one of the basic components of human nature. Even the worst of criminals have a soft spot for something. Father is no exception to that rule, especially since I dimly recall terrified stormtroopers saying I wasn't to be harmed when I was caught."

Han shakes his head sadly. "You're insane if you think there's anything good left to Vader."

Bekah gives a wide grin at that comment. "Thank you for noticing, it runs in the family."

"You can't be serious," Luke grumbles at last. "Vader is Anakin Skywalker?"

"Yes," Obi Wan murmurs sadly.

"Why didn't you just tell us from the beginning?" Leia whispers, her soul trembling as the information finally sinks in.

He sighs. "I had the three of you separated soon after your births to protect you, as together the three of you would be too strong in the Force to remain undetected for long. Amidala was already touched by the Dark Side, since given her protective nature she absorbed the influence of Sidious rather than allowing it to taint anyone else. Luke and Leia were untouched by the same darkness, which was the only reason I felt that there was a danger."

Amidala frowns at this new information, and Bekah gives her a wary glance. "Did you consider the fact that you were sending her to a planet literally tearing itself apart in back to back wars?" the latter asks.

"This galaxy wasn't any better, and were she discovered any sooner, the results would have been unprecedented," Obi Wan defends, almost harshly. "At least all three grew up in relative safety."

"Oh really?" Han drawls. "One grew up as a farmer on a planet run by a crime lord, another as the adopted daughter of a Rebellion founder, and the other on a war torn planet? That sounds _real_ safe to me, old man."

Bekah gives Han a look that shuts him up quickly. "It must have been the least of the evils he could have chosen, you've gotta give him that much. "Besides, Vader's still clueless about there having been triplets, right?"

"Whose side are you on?" Luke bursts, interrupting an argument before it can start. "First you attack Ben and defend Vader, and now you're defending him?"

Bekah shrugs. "I tend to look at both sides of any given situation. I'm in the… shades of gray, if you take my meaning. Besides, I don't necessarily take sides when it comes to both having points that I can agree with."

"Great, so does that mean that you're a Rebel sympathizer, or with the Empire?" Leia sighs.

"I choose not to answer that question, since I don't know nearly enough to decide. However," she clarifies, looking pointedly at Amidala, "I'm not letting this one go haring off alone again. Not after seeing what happened on Halloween."

"Oh yeah, you were there when that happened," she murmurs to herself.

The others in the room share confused glances before giving up, silently agreeing to not bother asking questions.

Don't own Star Wars… wish I did…


	8. Chapter 8

Two months later

The Executor

"Admiral Ozzel, you fail yet again to bring me the information that I have requested!" the Dark Lord roars, driving icy tendrils of fear into the hearts of his command crew. "I have specifically requested that you bring to me information pertinent to the investigation of the sabotage on the _Shadow,_ yet you have only brought the reports of repairs necessary for the ship!"

Said admiral gulps in fear, feeling the slight pressure on his neck. "M-my Lord, th-the report is o-of the hi-highest pri-iority to the Emperor-"

The pressure tightens on his windpipe. "The investigation is of a higher priority! Commander Amidala is of the highest priority! Finding the culprits behind her abduction and rescuing her is the only thing I am interested in!"

"My Lord!" Piett's tired voice summons him.

"What is it?" he snarls.

Amidala's favored admiral doesn't even flinch, to his credit. "We have received an anonymous tip that the Rebellion has her in their midst. She remains uncooperative with them, but unharmed, along with a mysterious girl who is rumored to have fallen through a kind of portal who-"

"I couldn't care less about any companion of hers," he states frankly.

"She is rumored to have incredible abilities not seen since the Jedi Purges," he clarifies. "And she hails from the world where you found Amidala."

The Sith Lord freezes at the mention of the Force-negating planet. A world he wouldn't dare to set foot, is where a Force-sensitive girl only now is able to discover her power originated from? "Did the tip say where to find the Rebellion?" he growls, dismissing Ozzel with a careless wave of his hand.

Piett examines the datapad in his hand with intense scrutiny once more. "The tip claims the Rebellion to be in the Outer Rim, headed towards Tatooine."

"Then give the orders to move the fleet to intercept them."

Home One

"You seem to have a good grasp of the Force, Bekah," Obi Wan murmurs, watching her lift crates to the ceiling while fighting against Luke in a practice duel.

She quickly disarms Luke after that with a flourish, and holds her lightsaber to his neck. "I yield," he gasps. She powers off the bright pink blade as she lowers the blade, sliding it into place on the inside of her boot. "How in the galaxy did you pick up combat so quickly?"

As she wipes the sweat from her face and the back of her neck, she merely shakes her head. "It's simple, really. In the first minute, I saw your preferred style of fighting, and any flaws in your grip. Then it was only a matter of wearing you down to where the flaws were easier to manipulate."

"What? That's all you did?" Luke asks, shocked, before looking up to find the crates still hovering crates.

Obi Wan and Bekah also turn their gazes to the ceiling. "Oops," she whispers, before lowering them back to their places on the floor in neat stacks. "Well, Obi Wan? Happy now?"

The Master Jedi simply shakes his head. "Go on, Han asked for your assistance the second you were done with this." As she dashes out of the room, he regards Luke with a proud gleam in his eyes. "If she were to have fought fairly, you would have won easily."

The young Skywalker huffs in annoyance. "I thought she was fighting dirty." He shakes it off and uses the Force to reorganize the crates based on contents, as is his routine. "Master, why would she fight in such a manner, if it's only for practice?"

"I cannot be sure, but I have a feeling she knows more about much of this than she lets on, and is preparing for something big to happen." He then shakes it off, and gestures to the crates again. "Now, arrange them back to exactly how they were when we first arrived."

Unfortunately, neither had realized that the subject of their brief conversation had been listening the entire time. With a small smile, she walks off into the bowels of the ship, headed straight for the _Millenium Falcon,_ the memory of her first time being aboard the remodeled freighter drifting up to the front of her mind.

 _She had been with Leia on a quick tour of Home One when they made a stop in the hangar. "And here is the_ Millenium Falcon _, the box of bolts Han is so proud of."_

 _She raises a brow at the comment. "Why the scorn? If he's so proud of her, then there's gotta be something golden hidden under the rough outside."_

" _Thank you! Someone who actually sees her worth!" Han's snarky voice calls from the top of his vessel. "So, what are you doing here? Looking for your brother, Your Worship?"_

" _I'm giving Bekah a quick tour, nerfherder," she shoots back, making sure he clearly hears the last word._

" _Hah! Could'a fooled me!" He reaches for his tools, but an exposed wire shocks him, making his hand push the toolkit over the edge of the_ Falcon. _"Kriff!" he shouts, both in pain and frustration._

 _Bekah's eyes trail the toolbox in its descent, and she reaches out a hand, wanting the toolkit to not hit the floor, but rather to fall into her hands. To her utter shock, the box obeys, floating gently into her grasp._

 _Leia starts at the display of the Force. "How did you do that?" she asks._

 _As Han climbs down to retrieve his tools, she stares wide-eyed at the box. "I-I don't know. I just wanted it to not hit the floor, to catch it."_

 _Han makes it down and takes the box from her, setting it off to the side on a workbench. "Well, thanks for catching it."_

" _Uh, you're welcome."_

 _He studies her for a minute, then gestures to his ship. "Know anything about mechanics?"_

 _She blinks at him a couple of times before shaking her head. "Only not to touch any exposed wires, and not let anything leak."_

" _Shame," he mutters. "It's not everyday someone else really appreciates the_ Falcon. _Feel like learning?"_

 _She smiles shyly. "I guess, if it makes me useful around here."_

 _He rolls his eyes and turns around to hide his lopsided grin. "Then come on, let's get to work. And grab that tool kit." She obeys and follows him into the ship, passing a table and bench to a small cargo area, where the floor panel has been lifted to reveal parts of the engine and piping with a small crawlspace. "So, here's the basics if this ship ever has a minor problem…"_

Shaking her head at his disastrous first attempt at teaching her the mechanics of his ship, she walks up the ramp, hearing a minor roar from his copilot Chewbacca. "Well try the other switch!" he shouts back.

"What's the problem this time, Han?" she calls to the engine room of the ship as she ties her long hair into a hasty bun.

"Not sure, Chewie thinks it might be a bad fuel cell, but we just replaced it so that's not it," he growls as he steps into the lounge with her, wiping his greasy hands on a stained rag. "I would check the main wiring, but Chewie and I can't check very far."

"Want me to do that first?" she asks, crossing her arms in mild amusement.

"Yeah, and check for any leaks while you're at it."

"What about the hyperdrive? Is that thing still working?" she inquires as well.

He gives her a funny look. "Think it's the problem?"

"When is it _not_ a problem?" she retorts, already heading for the crawlspace with him right behind her. Just as he's about to lower her into the small space, an alarm goes off in the hangar, one she's never heard before, that chills her to the bone. "Han, what's going on?" she asks worriedly as he pulls her away from the hatch.

"Bad news," he answers hastily. "The Empire's found us again."

She groans in annoyance and follows him to the cockpit, where they can clearly see the X-wings of Rogue Squadron being prepared for battle. "I'm going to find Amidala," she informs them, before running out of the ship to enter the hangar again.

"Wait!" Han shouts, followed by Chewie's roar of protest, but she ignores them, using the Force to search for Amidala, finding her locked in their shared room and straining to break through the Force-enhanced lock.

 _Ida!_ she calls through the Force.

 _Bekah! My dad is on the flagship out there! I need to get to the hangar, and get out of here!_

 _Okay, I'm on my way to you right now. Can you grab my bag?_ she asks instantly, dodging out of the path of pilots in their orange jumpsuits.

 _What?! You want to go with me?!_ she shouts hysterically. _Are you insane?!_

 _I'm not letting you go haring off alone again. Remember how much trouble you got into the last time that happened?!_

She can feel the irritation before acceptance flows into her mind. _Fine, I'll also throw some of our clothes in as well. But are you sure about this?_

 _Absolutely. I'll take care of the lock, I still have my lightsaber on me, so just sit tight. I'm almost there._

As she waits for her friend, Amidala reaches out across her Force bond with Darth Vader. _Dad!_

 _Ida! Which ship are you on?_ is his immediate response.

She takes a moment to dredge up the name of the ship. _Home One, I'm fairly sure. I can see the_ Executor _from the viewport in the room I share with Bekah._

A momentary confusion ripples through their connection. _Who?_

 _My friend from Earth, she fell through a portal after we last spoke, when I was in the infirmary. She's really strong with the Force!_

 _Ah, her. We had intelligence that you had a companion who was Force sensitive. What do you know about her?_ he asks her, as concentration takes over his end of the conversation.

 _Not too much, she's really nice and likes to take care of others. She's also a couple years older than me, but supposedly she constantly beats others at everything. She learns things really fast, and adapts to any situation._ An explosion rocks _Home One_ violently, knocking her into the lower bunk. _Who did that?!_

 _I'm not sure, it's chaos out here. If you want to attempt an escape, I would suggest getting to a fighter now._

A pink lightsaber cuts through the wall, shorting out the locking system and opening the door. "Come on, Ida! We got us a ship to steal, and an escape to make!"

 _We're on our way Dad. I'll see you soon._

 _Good. I'll alert my fighters to keep an eye out for your ship, and they will escort you to the main hangar of the Executor._ His attention flickers for a moment, no doubt as to what he is doing. _The moment you're both safely on board, I'll pull back my squadrons and we'll leave._

Amidala doesn't even bother to reply as she chases Bekah through the now deserted halls of the extensive ship. "Bekah, where were you?"

She pants as they continue their run for the fighter hangar. "Helping Han with the Falcon, before the sirens went off. I came straight for you, figuring there's only one person in the Imperial Navy who would set off such an alarm."

"Well, I'm glad you thought to do that! What about Luke and Obi Wan?"

She pales considerably as they slow down, reaching the hangar at last. "Hadn't really thought of it. I'd think Luke would be out with the Rouges, and Obi Wan with High Command and Leia."

Amidala nods in agreement, sensing each person to be exactly where Bekah had guessed. "Alright, but are there any fighters that can seat two people?"

"I… don't think so, unless one of us can fit into the cargo compartment, but that would only work if we were in a planet's atmosphere. We'll have to separate," Bekah whispers, deflating, before raising her head confidently. "We can do this, Ida. Just follow your instincts, okay? We'll be out of here before you know it. Just stick close to me."

"Alright." With that, the girls separate, each taking their pick of the prepared X-wings, astromech units already in place. "Droid, make a connection between her ship and my own only!" she orders hers, and R5 unit twirling its head in a panic. "And don't listen to the Alliance, listen to me. Convey that to the other astromech as well." They both fly out the second their canopies are down, Amidala just behind Bekah's ship as they streak out. "Bekah, I'm on your six. You hear me clearly?"

"Yeah, I hear you crystal clear. Tell your dad we need help getting out of here!" she shouts, going into a sudden dive to avoid the fire of the TIE fighter suddenly chasing her. "And get this idiot to stop tryin' to kill me!"

 _Dad! The two fighters that just exited the ship, that's us! Bekah's got a tail, call him off!_ She cries out, following her friend and trying to get a clear shot at the fighter threatening her friend's life.

 _I hear you, just a moment._ Suddenly the fighter backs off, and a TIE Advanced fighter is clearing a path for the girls. _Take the lead, you know where the hangar is._

 _Thanks, Dad._ "Bekah, you alright?"

"I'm fine, but the glass is breaking from that last shot. Can you lead me?" she replies after a moment

"That's the plan! Stick close to me now, I know the _Executor_ and her people," she orders, and is allowed a fraction of a second to get ahead before they streak through the battle, dodging and weaving their way to the Super Star Destroyer, the shields on both ships being worn down by stray laser-fire. As they near the massive flagship, a cry echoes through the communicator. "Bekah?! What's wrong?!"

Coughing alerts her to a major problem. "My shields are almost dead, and I've been shot!" she then coughs again. "Are we there?!"

"Almost!" _Dad! Start to pull out, we're almost done for, and Bekah's been injured!_

A wave of fury and concern wash over her. _I'm coming. Just stay on course, my men are on their way. A medical crew will be waiting._

Bekah's ship begins to waver, only barely staying on course. "Bekah, hang on, just another minute and we'll be safe!" The ship only slightly stabilizes, but she receives no reply. _Bekah!_

 _I can't breathe! I have no atmosphere!_ she silently replies, even her mental connection growing weaker by the second.

A stray shot shatters Amidala's window, and her own oxygen levels plummet. _We're almost there!_ she calls out as the open hangar grows exponentially larger in front of her. _Slow down for the approach so we don't kill anyone when we land!_

 _R-right…_ is the gasping reply before they skid across the floor of the hangar.

Amidala almost immediately regains full consciousness, and opens the ruined canopy of her X-wing with the Force, jumping out and searching for the other one as TIE fighters flood the hangar, returning to their designated places along the wall as medics rush out. "Bekah!" she shouts, not seeing the second fighter behind or next to hers. "Bekah!" she shouts again, before turning around to find the battered, blackened metal blending in with the wall it crashed sideways into.

"Ida!" she hears Vader shout, before she's crushed into a familiar set of arms, which she practically falls into.

"Dad!" she whispers, tears filling her eyes, as she pushes back, though his hands remain on her shoulders. "Bekah's hurt!" she repeats, before leading him over to the crashed fighter, where medics carefully extract the slowly awakening girl from within.

"Sedate her, and put her on oxygen," the medical chief orders his assistants as he inspects a wound in her left shoulder and right rib cage. "We'll have to get her into surgery quickly, My Lord," he informs his superiors as they approach the hovering stretcher.

"Do whatever is necessary to ensure her recovery," he orders them, before the doctors rush away. He turns back to his daughter to find her clutching a blue and black bag, filled almost to the maximum capacity and clearly heavy in her hands. "You should also go to the infirmary, Ida."

She seems to not have heard him. "Is she going to be okay?" she asks in a small voice, betraying at last the child she still is.

He glances in the direction the mystery girl had been taken, and shakes his head. "I don't know. But if the Force is with her, she will be fine."

His daughter nods, and leans into him again, just as the ship lurches into hyperspace. "She has to be okay."

As she leans more into him, he gives in to his better nature and sweeps her into his arms, finding her to be a little too pale and only half conscious. "Ida, what happened out there?" he asks.

She blinks rapidly and takes a deeper breath. "She was shot, and coughing. She couldn't breathe. Then my glass was shot out, and I couldn't breathe anymore… we almost didn't make it," she whispers, leaning her head on his warm, cloaked shoulder.

He takes her to the turbolift leading directly to the infirmary, holding firmly to her as he shakes her gently. "Stay awake Ida, you can go to sleep once you've been cleared by the medic."

She nods her head and shivers slightly, and it's only then that he realizes the two girls were only wearing thin trousers, boots, and undershirts. "I'm cold, Daddy," she murmurs sleepily.

"You'll warm up soon, Ida," he promises her as the doors of the turbolift slide open, admitting them to a clean, organized infirmary with medical staff bustling to prepare a bacta tank in a private chamber for after Bekah's surgery. He summons a doctor with a mere glance. As he settles his child in an empty bed and takes the heavy bag from her loose, the terrified man checks over Amidala, settling a breathing mask over her nose and mouth as he runs the necessary scans over her. After a moment, he covers her in a thermal blanket before turning to Vader. "Well?" he impatiently asks.

"She is currently suffering from shock and oxygen deprivation, but there appear to be no lasting injuries." He glances up at the Sith Lord with only a slight amount of fear visible in his eyes. "She is fortunate to not have suffered any injuries similar to those of the other patient."

Vader silently releases the breath he had been holding. His little girl would be alright. Speaking of which… "How is the other patient?"

If the doctor is surprised at his wondering about a patient other than his daughter, he hides it well. "She is stabilizing, but is still in critical condition. Her shoulder is being reconstructed, and her lung was punctured by a broken rib, likely from her crash landing. She has also been diagnosed with severe oxygen deprivation, and shock as well as blood loss." At the furthered glare of his Commander, he clears his throat. "She is otherwise in great health, so she stands to make a full recovery after submersion in bacta."

He nods and waves away the doctor, who is all too happy to make it away with his life. Once he is alone with his now sleeping daughter, he opens the bag, finding a few sets of girl's clothes rolled up at the top of the bag. Below the tangled masses of clothes, he finds a couple of heavy books with odd pictures on the fronts; a couple of datapads; some spare parts and small tools; a large, over-filled binder; and a small, sleek device with a small, blinking light on one edge. He finds that it opens up to a small screen and a keyboard, but is locked with a password he has no knowledge of. Closing the mechanical device, he puts the items back into the relative protection of the bag, knowing he probably will learn nothing from the items within.

I don't own Star Wars…


	9. Chapter 9

The Executor

Amidala, now wearing a simple, skin-tight blue tunic and black leggings with her polished black boots under her customary navy blue cloak, stares at the bacta tank holding her unconscious friend, covered in tubes providing her with nutrients and blood as well as her undergarments for modesty's sake. The droids bustle around checking the monitors with her vital signs and other functions that she couldn't care to try identifying.

The other girl's hair floats freely in the watery substance, released from the bun that it had been in before her surgery, almost like a halo. The wounds in her shoulder and side are now hardly visible scars, only noticeable if you know where to look for the injuries. One of her hands floats close to the thick glass plating, and Amidala reaches out to place a hand on the glass over where she would have held her friend's hand.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into all of this, Bekah," she whispers, unconsciously sending the message to her friend through the Force as well.

 _Ida…?_ she hears whispered back to her, as Bekah's eyes flutter open. _Ida!_ she cries out, surprised at her seemingly watery grave.

 _Bekah, relax. We're both safe now, I promise,_ she whispers into the panicked mind of her friend. _You'll be out of there in a few minutes, the droids will take care of you._

 _O…okay. I trust you, Ida. But… where am I this time?_ she inquires, as the droids take notice of the wide awake patient, and begin the preparations to remove her from the tank. _The last thing I remember is being unable to breathe and passing out in the X-wing._

Amidala nods in understanding as she recalls the events she can hardly remember for herself. _We both crash landed in the hangar, but you somehow crashed into the back wall instead of in the middle like I did. Both of us were in shock and had been oxygen deprived, though you more severely._ She continues to speak through the Force as she is removed from the tank. _You also had been shot in the shoulder and a broken rib that punctured a lung on your landing. You lost a bit of blood, but you were rushed into surgery so there shouldn't be any lasting damage._

Bekah shivers as the air meets her wet skin, before a blast of warm air mostly dries her off, and the mask and sensors are removed from her. She still shivers as the droids remove her still damp underclothes, and cover her with a warm robe, before leading her to a freshly made bed, tucking her in carefully as she does as she is prodded into cooperation. Not a moment later, Darth Vader enters the private room, dismissing the droids for the time being with a simple wave.

Vader stares at the girl in the bed before lowering his hood and smiling warmly at her. "Ida has told me that you were the one responsible for getting her away from the rebels."

"Yes, sir," she confirms in a small, hoarse voice. "A-are you her father?"

"I am. I assume you've heard of me, as the Empire has learned of you?" he inquires gently, if only for his daughter's sake.

She blinks in surprise. "The Empire knows what about me?" she asks in return, conveniently forgetting the first half of the question.

"Only of you, your origins, and your possible Force abilities." He levels a stern gaze upon her. "I would appreciate the truth, Rebekah. I have already discovered a lightsaber in your boot that the medical staff somehow overlooked earlier, and would rather ask for an explanation than carry out an execution of my daughter's best friend."

She frowns in thought as she recalls the facts he wants to know, her shaking hands the only thing betraying her growing fear. "Um, s-some Jedi said that I needed to learn co-control of the Force, a-and wanted me to become a Jedi as well, but I refused t-to learn the theology, and only enough to hide myself, communicate, and defend myself. He-he made me keep the li-lightsaber. That's all, I-I swear."

He nods in understanding, feeling the Force hum with the truth of her words. "I know you speak the truth, young lady. But I had to ask, as it is illegal to be a Jedi, or one of their apprentices. However, since you rejected their ways beyond learning self-defense and control, I can ensure that you do not suffer any kind of punishment."

"That's… very generous of you, sir…" she trails off, glancing over to Amidala to find her lowering her own hood to reveal relieved features. "I… I still don't understand…"

Vader raises a hand, silencing her instantly. "There is much I am under the impression you will not understand about this galaxy. I will answer your questions to the best of my abilities."

She blinks and looks away, fiddling with the edge of the blanket, before meeting his gaze once more. "How… how did you find Ida?"

He fails to answer immediately, suddenly unsure of just what his answer is. How did he find her? "I fail to see how that is pertinent."

She shakes her head slowly. "To understand part of the culture, you don't ask for the material, you ask for the methods used. To know how is to understand why, and what started all of it."

When it's put that way, he can't help but wonder just how she came to understand the nature of society at such a young age. "Well… I just followed the Force. I had searched the entire civilized, known galaxy, but had no success. I went into the oldest records on a hunch, and looked into the attempted recivilization of the Venusian System, where your Earth lies. The Force centered around that system, where the Force had its own supposed origins. I left with the fleet, and scanned the system for human life, shocked to find that the project had actually succeeded, even though communication had been lost long ago. I followed the proddings of the Force, and sent stormtroopers to the surface, and they found her with relative ease after comparing DNA found in a small clinic."

Before she can formulate a response, a bright light engulfs each of them. Each of them lets loose a startled shout as they each fall through their own portal, each to a different place and a different moment in time.

This chapter is purposely short.

I do not own Star Wars


	10. Chapter 10

29 Years Ago

Bekah

Endor

She gasps in pain as she comes back into consciousness, every inch of her sore and feeling beaten. "Ida?" she calls out of sheer panic. "Vader?" she calls even louder upon receiving no response. "Anyone?!" she screams, tears filling her eyes in growing terror. _Someone help me!_ she screams into the Force, a shockwave washing over the passing vessel en route to Naboo as she falls back into unconsciousness.

The Jedi Master and Padawan aboard double over, gasping for air as the cry for help reaches them from the planet below. "Master!" the auburn haired Padawan gasps, having recovered his breath first.

"I know, we're going to investigate immediately," he answers, already making his way to the cockpit, sending back a soothing wave of the Force, finding the one in distress to be incredibly gifted with the Force, unconscious, in pain, and utterly terrified. "I don't know what to make of this person, but they are most definitely in distress." The door swishes open, and he immediately orders the pilots to land in the first clearing large enough for their ship.

The younger man's eyes glaze over as he reaches out with the Force, probing gently only to find a sturdy barrier keeping him out. No matter what he tries as the ship nears the planet's surface, he can't see even a bit of the person's mind. "Whoever it is, they know enough to hide their thoughts," he comments as he returns his focus to the physical world, finding that they had already set down on the planet's surface.

He nods in agreement as they disembark from the ship. "Yes, but they are unable to block their presence. Whoever this is can't be too far away, maybe even just over that ridge. Come along, we don't want to be here for too long."

They hike their way through the greenery, which hides the soft, fertile soil under layers of ferns, moss, and recently fallen leaves. A large, fallen tree, covered with moss and lichen that indicates it couldn't have been down for more than maybe three years, creates a bridge for them over a small stream carving its way down the slope. Topping the ridge, they see a pure, clean white fabric covering what appears to be a human form, one end with small, pale human feet, the other a tangled, drying mass of copper tinged and blonde highlighted brown hair, covering what they realize must be a girl's face as she lays face-down on the forest floor.

They hurry down the somewhat steep slope, and the Padawan reaches her first, his Master only a few steps behind. He tentatively reaches out to her, slowly prodding her to a responsive state as he carefully rolls her onto her back. His breath catches for a moment in his throat as he stares at her, taking in her unique features that could be a mix of any given people from any known star system. He takes in the delicate little freckles dusting her cheeks, a small scar on her forehead he instinctively knows was from some act of disobedience as a toddler, and the innocence of her soul just at a glance.

His Master is also taken aback by her appearance, but not for his Padawan's sudden worry for the stranger. "She can't be much more than eighteen. Why would she be out here alone?" he wonders aloud, then notes her minimal attire of the thick white robe reaching just under her knees. "Who would leave her here in such attire too?"

The Padawan starts at the sound of his Master's voice, pulling his gaze from the face of what he might call an angel. "What will we do about her? There has to be something we could do," he murmurs, turning to his Master.

He sighs. "I don't know. I was hoping she would be awake when we found her, but since she's unconscious, I'm rather hesitant to bring her with us to Naboo. Especially if negotiations with the Trade Federation don't go as planned."

"We can't just leave her here though, Master," he Padawan murmurs, just as the girl stirs. The Master kneels on her other side, resting one hand gently on a cheek to send a calming wave of the Force through her. "Hey, are you in there?" he calls out, almost teasingly.

She groans and turns her head away from the touch of the Jedi. "Wha- who are you?" she mumbles, almost unintelligible in her exhausted state.

The Master, however, finds her to be somewhat amusing. "We heard your call, and answered."

She only frowns in response. "Who… are you?" she asks again, eyes flicking nervously between the faces of the two strangers hovering over her.

They both smile slightly at her insistence. "I am Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and this is my Padawan Learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi." He then frowns. "Who are you, young lady? What happened to you?"

Her frown deepens. "I'm…" she pauses for a moment, recalling the Obi-Wan Kenobi of her time, and realizing this could become a fresh start for her, where nobody knows who she is. "My name is Bekah Ree. I'm not sure what really happened, I was in the infirmary on a ship, and then I was pulled into some kind of portal again."

Qui-Gon takes his turn to frown. "Why were you in an infirmary?"

She scrunches her eyes in concentration. "It's still kinda fuzzy, but I remember being shot, and losing an atmosphere, and… a crash in a hangar? I'm not entirely sure." She shakes her head, and pushes herself upright, favoring her left shoulder with a small grimace of pain. "Where am I?"

Obi-Wan regards her with a small, amused smile, rising to his feet and offering her a hand up. "You've found yourself on Endor, a planet uninhabited by humans."

She blinks in what they could swear to be recognition as she accepts the help, and Qui-Gon rises to his feet as well. "Well, that's… helpful." She turns on them with an almost pleading gaze. "Is there any way that you could help me out?"

"Actually, we were on our way to Naboo, to see if we could peaceably settle the dispute with the Trade Federation's blockade," Qui-Gon informs her. "I was actually hoping to take you along. If you were willing, of course."

She bites her lip and settles her gaze on the soft ground. "I have nothing and nowhere else to go. I would like to go with you."

They trade a glance, sensing her fluctuating emotions and knowing she only gave them the partial truth, and an almost complete lie. Disregarding this for the time being, Qui-Gon takes the lead back to their transport, keeping an eye on the clearly distraught girl he has a feeling will bring a great change to them in the near future. She seems to step tentatively, as though expecting to find something sharp on the forest floor, and avoids brushing against most of the plants if at all possible.

With a sigh, he stops them at the top of the ridge, turning to her with a glint of concern in his eyes. "Would you rather be carried?" At her blank expression, he clarifies. "Your steps are overly cautious, when there is nothing that will harm you with every step."

She blushes slightly and shakes her head. "I'm fine, I just haven't been on any kind of planet for months now, and the only woods I'm used to have thorns everywhere, or a bunch of other sharp things under the leaves." At his raised brow, she looks down again. "I'm sorry to be slowing you down."

Obi-Wan gazes around as the echo of horns fills the forest around them. "Master?" he asks uneasily.

However, their straggler perks up at the sound. "The ewoks, they are pretty much harmless if you don't antagonize them."

"Yes, and I would rather we leave before we do antagonize them," Qui-Gon murmurs, ushering the younger two to go ahead of him. He notices that Bekah, rather than observing the land at their level, keeps glancing up, a little smirk on her lips at one point. "What do you find so amusing at this moment, Bekah?"

She points to a specific spot up in the trees. "There's one of them up there watching us. Right there."

His gaze latches onto the confused, furry creature with scruffy brown fur just barely lighter than that of the tree it sits in, with a red hood like contraption over its head, little rounded ears sticking out from holes in the top. It carries a small horn and an extremely primitive spear, but makes no move to indicate any kind of hostility. Rather, it watches them with its head slightly tilted in curiosity.

Obi-Wan also sees the furry little creature, and picks up the pace. "Maybe we ought to hurry it up, Master."

"I would agree," he mutters, resting a hand against Bekah's back to help her pick up the pace. When they at last make it back to the shuttle, he releases a sigh of relief, glad that they had made it without getting into any kind of trouble. He then turns to the girl again. "You might want to just take one of the bunks rather than joining us in the cockpit."

She nods in thanks, though pulls the robe a bit more tightly around herself. "I don't want to come off as being needy, but there wouldn't happen to be a spare set of clothes around here, would there?"

The Jedi Master shakes his head as his Padawan goes to the cockpit to allow the pilots to lift off from the surface of the forest moon. "As Jedi, we have little in the way of belongings, and didn't anticipate finding anyone on our way to Naboo. Perhaps we could acquire something else for you there, the journey won't be more than a few more hours."

"Alright. I'll just… lay down in one of the bunks then," she murmurs, and Qui-Gon merely points out the small bunkroom for her, which she enters silently, and almost with an air of sadness. He notices her shoulders shaking slightly as the door closes on its own, without her raising her hand to use the switch.

Frowning slightly as he feels her presence almost completely vanish behind even more shielding, only noticeable because he knows she is there, he makes his way to the cockpit once more. "Obi-Wan," he whispers, catching the younger man's attention. "What do you make of her?"

He notes with vague amusement that his Padawan is slightly flustered. "She's quite a mystery. It would be a waste of time to guess at her origins, based on what little we can know and see of her." He then raises a brow at his Master. "Why the interest in her?"

Qui-Gon shakes his head. "Something tells me that she could be dangerous, although not for us. But rather… someone, or something else."

"But she doesn't seem as though she could possibly be a threat. I mean, no disrespect, Master, but she seems to have no ill will towards us."

"Yet she is keeping a secret, one that could pose a threat in the long run," he shoots back, making his Padawan lower his gaze to the floor. "Nevertheless, if she poses no threat to us, we have no reason to question her further."

Obi-Wan only then notices the absence of the subject of their discussion. "Is she alright, Master?"

Qui-Gon only sighs. "I believe it would be best to leave her be for the moment. She seemed upset when I left her at the bunkroom."

"If you are sure, Master," Obi-Wan murmurs as they both raise their hoods once more, though not before glancing back towards the cockpit entrance once more.

They remain in their places for the next hours, watching the blur of hyperspace pass them by, preparing their minds for the possibilities of their reception upon arrival. "We're coming out of hyperspace, Master Jedi," the captain intones monotonously as she hails the control ship. "With all due respect, the ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor wish to board immediately."

On the screen, he nods in affirmation. "Yes, of course," he replies respectfully. "As you know, our blockade is perfectly legal." As they make their final approach to the control ship, he continues with his pleasantries, which Obi-Wan ignores at his Master's look.

"Go and let the girl know we ought to be back shortly, once we have boarded their ship. She would do well to remain on board during the negotiations," Qui-Gon orders him, to which he leaves the small cockpit at once.

He knocks on the door to the bunkroom quietly before he opens the door, finding Bekah to be seated, legs crossed, on the cold floor in front of the bunks. Her hazel eyes flutter open, and he notices with some concern that they are slightly bloodshot. "Are we there?" she asks, her voice soft and slightly breathless.

He lowers his hood for the moment, and kneels to bring himself to her level. "We have arrived at the blockade. Master Jinn wishes for you to remain in here while we go and take care of the negotiations, which he seems to believe will not take very long."

She nods in reply, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "You know where I'll be when you're finished here, then."

Twenty minutes later

The white robed girl slips out of the ship with no one the wiser, just in time for the guns to be lowered and aimed at the vessel she just disembarked. With a careless wave, she forces the barrel to crush itself, effectively jamming it and creating a spectacular explosion.

"Hey!" a battledroid captain shouts, spotting her and raising its blaster. Another careless wave of her hand, it crumples into barely more than a ball of scrap metal, and she summons the blaster to her own hand.

She shouts back up into the ship, "Leave! Now! Warn the queen of the impending attack!" She jumps from the ramp just as it raises, and blasts out of the hangar before any more threats can be made against them. Assured of the escape of their transport, Bekah blasts several more of them, before dashing from the hangar with the aid of the Force, following her instincts to the bridge. "Damn," she whispers to herself, spotting the door closing from around a blast door track. "This just couldn't be easy, could it?" she asks herself pointlessly, before taking a more careful look at her surroundings. Spotting a ventilation grate just behind her, she shoots it away, and climbs in, staying as quiet as she can.

At the end, she finds another grate, and peers out. Her eyes widen at the sight laid out before her: transport ships, and a massive droid army preparing to fold into the transport racks. Surprisingly enough, she finds no sentient being watching over them, just sees endless numbers of droid soldiers. Carefully, she uses the Force to lower the grate to the floor far below her, and slips out, landing crouched without a sound. Spying one of the nearest ships, she runs as fast as the Force can assist her, jumping to the highest spot she can fit herself into, folding her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around herself, shivering from the cold of space with her minimal covering.

Just as it seems as though the hiding will last forever, a rustling and a small grunt from below catches her attention. Carefully, she unfolds herself and peers down from her precarious perch. She catches sight of a very familiar head with short hair and a thin braid, and smirks a little to herself. With a nudge from the Force, she catches his attention. "You'll be able to hide up here better, Obi-Wan," she whispers as he looks up.

To say he is shocked would be an understatement. Once he has settled down beside her, he stares at her with slightly widened eyes. "I thought you were staying with the ship," he whispers hotly, a little irritated that she blatantly disobeyed him and his Master.

She shrugs nonchalantly. "I felt a warning, and managed to save your transport from being blown to dust. I sent them to warn the Queen that trouble was brewing up here."

He breathes a sigh of relief. "Well, that must have been the disturbance we felt earlier. But why didn't you go with them?"

"Uh… I wanted to see what was happening for myself…?" she answers, scooting slightly away from the frustrated Padawan. "In my defense-"

He raises his hand for her to be quiet. "I won't even question it right now." She nods, and shivers again, which catches his attention. He sighs and lays his arm over her shoulders, pulling her close against himself to try warming her up. "Are you alright? Master Qui-Gon said you seemed upset earlier."

She sighs and leans into him reluctantly. "I couldn't feel my friend or her father. They went through a portal at the same time I did in the infirmary, and I was hoping that I could at least feel them." She shakes her head. "I was just so scared when I woke up in the middle of nowhere all alone."

"That is understandable, I must say." He hesitates before continuing. "Listen, we'll be having to run as soon as this ship lands. Are you up for that?"

She chuckles a bit at the query. "You underestimate me, Obi-Wan." She gestures to his lightsaber. "If I still had mine, I might have tried getting onto the bridge."

The racks suddenly pull the folded, deactivated battle droids into the ship, making the previously overly spacious transport a little cramped. The two resettle themselves as the ship lifts off, and he holds her more securely against himself. "So you are a Jedi? A lost Padawan?"

"I'm no Jedi, Obi-Wan. And I will tell you what I told my teacher, I don't ever plan to be any closer to being Jedi, now that I can take care of myself well enough," she explains hastily.

"Does that make you a Sith?"

She flinches ever so slightly. "I've… met one Sith, and one highly unwilling apprentice," she answers vaguely. "Suffice to say, I'm in the neutral category, if there is one."

The ship jerks around unexpectedly quickly, and they both fall to the bottom of the vessel. At the last possible second, Obi-Wan flips them so that Bekah doesn't bear the brunt of the fall. His back screams in protest as the breath is driven from his lungs. She scrambles off of him as fast as she can, and he finds that his breath returns much faster than he had expected it to without her surprisingly heavy body on top of his.

"I'm sorry!" she whispers, pulling him to sit up and rubbing his back soothingly. "Are you alright?"

He nods and coughs. "I'm fine, there's no lasting damage. But are you alright?"

"Yeah… I'm fine, thanks," she replies quietly, before scooting away from him, once his coughing has died down. "I think we'd better get ready to run," she intones cautiously, feeling the vibrations of the ship steady to a gentle rumble as she readies her blaster once more.

Obi-Wan also grabs his lightsaber. "Can you keep up?" he asks with a smirk.

"You're gonna eat my dust, Jedi," she taunts him, just before the transport thunks onto the ground. And she seemingly vanishes the second the door is open wide enough, blaster shots taking out some of the already released droids. "Go, Obi-Wan!" she shouts as he leaves the transport.

"Not without you," he growls, throwing her over his shoulder before charging away. He feels the strange sensation of something… almost evil that sweeps the area, droids being crushed before he can even think to do anything about them, even the ones behind him that he senses his passenger to have previously been shooting at while he ran.

A tall, black cloaked figure wielding a blood red lightsaber appears in his path, and throws them down without even waving his hand. Bekah is thrown from his grip, and his lightsaber torn away before he can even try to fight back. "Jedi scum," the figure snarls, walking closer to the Padawan.

"No! Vader, don't!" Bekah cries out suddenly, somehow appearing between them, a small gash bleeding sluggishly on the side of her head.

He stops suddenly, and deactivates his lightsaber. "Bekah?" he asks, almost in astonishment. "How did you fall in line with a _Jedi?"_

"Things aren't as simple as that, Vader, and you know it. He and his Master heard my call, and picked me up from Endor on their way here." He raises his deactivated blade, and she growls in frustration. "Think about it! You can fix everything, if things are how I think they are!"

He blinks, and what Obi-Wan could have sworn to be a yellow glow in this 'Vader's' eyes vanishes. "How can you be so sure about that?"

Her stance loosens. "Because I know you love what's left of your family, deep down." She steps closer to him. "Give him back the lightsaber."

With great reluctance, he throws the blue blade back to its owner, who catches it as he rises to his feet. "You two know each other?" he asks incredulously.

"Yes, Obi-Wan Kenobi," the man practically spits. "This girl just so happens to be my daughter's best friend."

"Wait," he nearly chokes, "You came through a portal with a _Sith?!"_

Amazingly, Vader produces a blue and black back pack and another gleaming lightsaber hilt from under his cape. Ignoring the younger version of his former Master, Vader offers the items to Bekah. "Take these things back, before I lose them. Your clothes are still in here, but that might just have to wait until we reach Theed."

Qui-Gon only then runs into the clearing, followed closely by a tall, talkative Gungan. "You have got to be kidding me," Vader grumbles under his breath, staring only at the aquatic being.

"What?" she whispers back, feeling the waves of irritated amusement rolling off of the much taller man.

"Jar-Jar Binks, a local I remember my time with _quite well,"_ he informs her. He raises his voice to address the group of them. "I have transportation that will get us to Theed without a problem, if you will follow me."

His cape swirls around in an arc as he turns to lead them through the forest, taking them to a large speeder, but still barely big enough to count as more than an oversized taxi. "How did you get ahold of one of these things?" Bekah asks with a raised brow, almost automatically taking the far right seat in the back of the speeder, rooting through the clothes stuffed in the top of the bag by the time the males have seated themselves, Vader in the driver's seat.

He doesn't even bother to look back at her as he replies, "I landed in Theed several hours ago, and I had enough credits to rent this for a while." She nods in understanding, before finding his cape landing on her face. "We're short enough on time, change under that if you want."

She rolls her eyes and pulls the cape over her head, completely hiding her from the eyes of the others. "So, what's the plan? Go in there respective weapons blazing?" she calls as she removes her white robe, pulling on her underclothes quickly before pulling on a tight-fitting pair of leggings. "Or do you have another hare-brained idea like your daughter would?"

She pulls on a tightly fitted sleeveless shirt, before finally revealing herself from underneath the heavy cloak. "I had been hoping these Jedi would have some ideas, since it is _their_ mission, after all."

She rolls her eyes at his childishness as she digs out a belt from her bag, with a pouch, holster, and clip, wrapping it around her hips, and securing the empty holster to her right thigh. "And you couldn't be bothered to help out, could you?"

"Don't tempt me to carry out-" he starts, before she interrupts him.

"You wouldn't dare, not if you still want your daughter on your side," she growls, clipping her lightsaber to her belt. She then turns to Qui-Gon, leaning on the back of his seat in front of her. "So, do _you_ have a plan? Or are we making things up as we go along?"

"We have a goal, and we aren't entirely sure of the situation in the city," he replies slowly, before turning to Vader. "Perhaps you could inform us of the happenings in the city?"

His shoulders stiffen slightly, but he does sigh. "It's not too good. There are food shortages no matter which way you look. The queen has been in constant communications with the Federation, the Senator, or the Chancellor, when she's not in a council meeting. That's just off of the rumors I've heard. The people mostly stay at home now, to try and make the food last as long as they can."

Obi-Wan leans forward to join the conversation. "It's as bad as we feared, Master. We'll have to get an audience with the queen, if we can beat the droids invading the city." The speeder suddenly speeds up, pressing them all back into their seats. "What are you doing?"

"Picking up the pace, Kenobi," Vader growls simply, the only one unaffected by the increased speed. Sighing, Bekah digs out a folded up pair of ankle high boots from the bottom of her bag.

I don't own Star Wars


	11. Chapter 11

Theed

They enter the city just before the droids make it, with only minutes to spare. "Vader, take the Jedi and find the queen. I'll see about getting us a transport," Bekah whispers, before running off down an alley, her bag thumping against her back with every careful footstep.

The Sith can only growl in frustration at her bullheadedness, and waves for the Jedi and Gungan to follow him. "She will be fine on her own," he scolds at Obi-Wan's delay.

He leads them into the palace through the main doors, and barges straight up to the throne room, right into a council meeting with the young queen attempting to convince the governor of the greater need for negotiation than actions of war.

"Your Highness," he greets, bowing slightly to the false queen and her handmaidens, one of which he remembers is his beloved Padme in disguise. "The Federation is done with waiting you out, they have deployed their droid army to invade your planet. You must escape before they can make it here."

"The Federation wouldn't dare to invade," Captain Panaka denies fervently.

"Your Highness," Qui-Gon greets as he steps forward, "We are the ambassadors Supreme Chancellor Vallorum sent. There were no negotiations made, and we had to stow away with the droid army to get to your planet's surface."

Obi-Wan steps up to his Master's side. "We have a companion securing our transport off-world. You must come with us to persuade the Senate to aid you and your people."

"But my place is with my people," she stubbornly argues.

Vader, softening his voice slightly, argues back. "Your place is to do what you can for your people. By staying here you only grant the Federation another victory, and prolong the suffering of your people needlessly."

The governor, with a slight grimace, nods his head. "He has a valid point, Your Highness. The Senator will need your help to plead our case to the Senate."

She bows her head at last. "Very well, I will go to Coruscant." She regards every person present that is to remain on Naboo. "Be careful, all of you."

"Come on, we haven't any time to- whoa!" Obi-Wan starts at the sight of battle droids marching up to them, blasters at the ready. "Your Highness, stay back!" he orders as he brandishes his lightsaber, alongside Vader and Qui-Gon.

Their blades become little more than blurs of light, slicing and dicing the seemingly countless droids and deflecting the shots issued from their blasters. The red blade Vader wields holds a strange, unexplainable vicious edge to it, slightly reminiscent of Obi-Wan's own style of fighting. They don't realize when the pink lightsaber joins the fray from the back of the droid army, only slightly slower than those of the Jedi and Sith, but they do notice that blaster-fire from the horde actually starts taking down many of the droids.

"Bekah!" Qui-Gon sighs in annoyance as they finish up the last of their adversaries. He then recoils at the sight of the new gash on her shoulder, dripping blood in a slow trail down her arm. "What happened?" he asks, approaching and taking ahold of her arm, pulling it forward and away from the heavy bag on her back.

She pulls out of his grip roughly. "I'm fine. The ship is ready for us, the pilots are waiting in the cockpit with the ramp closed to keep the droids out." She nods in acknowledgement to the queen, who smiles slightly in return. "The faster we leave, the faster we can return." She the turns on the Gungan. "Jar-Jar, was it?"

He looks from side to side, then points at himself. "Meesa?"

"Yes, you. I've heard from someone or other that Gungans are warriors, is that so?" She gets a vigorous nod in response. "Good. See about convincing them to get ready for a fight, or they risk extinction by not helping to fight off this droid army."

"What? No, no, meesa no welcome in Gunga' city no more! Meesa been banished!" he whinily objects.

She levels a stern glare one the other sentient. "Would you rather that, or leave your people without a warning, and be even less in their eyes than what you are now?"

He deflates and bows his head. "My see. Isa go back and warn dem for yousa." He begins to charge out the doors, and flops onto his face halfway to the door, tripping over nothing.

Everyone else ignores him and follows the seventeen year old through what they had thought to be a hidden passage, but she seems quite familiar with. "Vader, do you know where Ida might have wound up?" she asks after a moment of walking in silence.

"I have one idea, if the Force still enjoys messing with my family," he growls.

She gives him a look none can truly decipher before she glances forward again. "Just one more turn ought to put us right there," she murmurs to herself. Surely enough, the next turn leaves them at a seemingly blank wall, which is merely slides into another wall to admit them into the hangar, hidden behind one of the docks of a fighter ship. Almost immediately after, the boarding ramp is lowered, the captain waving for them to hurry. "Your Highness, go after Vader. I will close the wall and follow."

"Padme," the queen calls forth a handmaiden. "Help her to seal the wall before you board."

"Of course, Your Highness," she agrees automatically, stepping to the side to join Bekah.

Vader steps out into the hangar ahead of the party, lightsaber brandished ahead of him to be prepared for any unexpected blasterfire. "Let's go, Your Highness," he orders the queen gently, standing in the middle of the path and facing the main hangar door.

The royal party hurries to obey, scurrying to get into the vessel. As Captain Panaka clears the passage entryway, Bekah moves the disguised door back into place with the aid of the Force, Padme having grabbed her blaster to offer some help in the instance they were ambushed.

"Bekah, they're all on board!" Vader calls to her just as the door is finally closed once more. "Let's go!"

She nods. "Come on, Padme," she encourages with a smile, which is only barely returned.

They hurry past Vader, who immediately follows them up into the sleek ship. The second they are all on board, the ramp lifts and the pilots get them out of the hangar. Obi-Wan, who had been waiting for the last of the group by the ramp, takes Bekah and leads her to a small table, where he had already laid out a small med kit.

"Obi-Wan, really, it's just a scratch," she complains as he takes her bag and sets it on the floor.

He points her into the seat. "I'll be the judge of that, now let me take a look at that shoulder." Just as he barely manages to get her to relax enough to look at her wound, the ship shakes violently, and an alarm goes off.

Bekah looks merely startled. "Knew that control ship would try this," she growls, tensing even as Obi-Wan attempts to soothe her with the Force.

"Hey, settle down, let the pilots handle this. I'm sure there isn't anything to be worried about yet," he tries to assure her.

With a sigh, she slumps back and rubs her eyes. "I think this is the worst day of my life," she groans tiredly.

He chuckles at this, right before Vader walks into the room. "Well, you can rest once you're patched up." He finally examines the wound, finding it to be deeper than he had thought, but not too deep. "You'll probably have a scar from this wound, I'm afraid," he informs her, reaching for the disinfectant.

As he cleans the wound and all the lost blood away, she rolls her eyes. "Do I look like I care about scars?" she asks sarcastically, earning a snort from the Sith Lord, who she turns her attention to. "So? What's happened?"

"The hyperdrive is leaking, and we need to refuel. I hated to direct them to that dustball, but it's the only option that's safe enough to bring the queen with us," he answers vaguely.

She shakes her head. "I don't know my planets very well, Vader. If there's one thing I never bothered to learn while I was with your enemies, it was the planets. Care to cut to the chase?"

"Tattooine," he practically spits. "I am not stepping a foot out of this ship while we are there."

"Oh great," Bekah groans. "I hate sand, and I hate the heat even more."

"Come now, look on the bright side of things," Obi-Wan jests. "At least the Federation has no control there."

Vader cracks first and groans in annoyance. "Okay, one, that was the worst pun ever; and two, the Hutts can be even worse than the Federation without a Republic to answer to."

Obi-Wan shakes his head and begins to secure a bacta patch over the wound with a roll of bandaging. "At least we know the Federation won't find us there."

"The Federation is not to be so belittled. They have many resources, some of which have yet to be fully disclosed," Vader ominously intones, before heading back to the cockpit. "We ought to be arriving in a couple of hours."

Obi-Wan finally ties off the bandage, and collects the used materials to respectively dispose of or return to the med kit. "He's a very cheerful person, isn't he?" he asks Bekah.

She crosses her arms on the table and rests her forehead on top of them. "He's not had a good life for the past fifteen years. Personally, I think he might be in a better mood than he's been in a long time."

"What makes you say that?" he asks innocently, unaware of the horrible answer.

She stiffens immediately. "I… it's… not my secret to share," she answers at last.

He feels that, through the Force, she is telling the full truth on this topic. Shaking it off, he broaches a topic he hopes she will be more open to. "Tell me, how much lightsaber training do you have?"

She sighs and shifts so her chin is resting on her arms. "Not much. I just learned to fight in freestyle duels, and even then I mix in a few dirty tactics to win."

He raises a brow. "Dirty tactics?" he asks, mildly amused.

"I cheat," she clarifies. "Then again, when your opponent fights with no honor, you shouldn't have to either."

"A reasonable justification, but nonetheless very minimal by the sounds of it," Qui-Gon observes, walking into their conversation. "Perhaps the Council will permit you to learn more of the Force and improve your lightsaber skills."

She closes her eyes and sighs. "If you're trying to convince me to join the Jedi Order, I'm going to have to tell you I won't even reconsider my decision. I'm happy as a completely neutral party when it comes down to the makeup of the Order." She then smirks. "Besides, they wouldn't know how to deal with me after long, nor could I tolerate all those rules."

The Jedi Master sighs. "Very well, it was worth a try. However, I would like to see how you handle your lightsaber when we reach Coruscant."

"I have a feeling you'll get a demonstration sooner than you think," she mutters under her breath.

Tattooine

Qui-Gon only takes one step onto the ramp when Padme and Bekah join him. "The queen wants you to take Padme, and I want to take a look around," the latter quickly informs him.

He shakes his head in quick denial of permission. "The spaceport is going to be too dangerous. I don't want either of you to be hurt."

"We can stay out of trouble well enough, Qui-Gon," Padme argues quietly.

He seems about to demand they stay behind, then gives up. "Just stay close to me then," he sighs, thinking to himself that this cannot possibly be a good idea. The ladies and R2-D2 follow him out into the desert sunlight, Bekah tucking her lightsaber into her boot, hiding the hilt under the slightly flared bottom of her leggings. He also notices that she wears a very worn tan jacket in order to cover her wound, rather than a poncho like the one he wears to hide his lightsaber and Jedi tunic.

Before long, the three humans and their droid make it to Mos Eisley, which they find to be composed mostly of dome-topped buildings and filled with species of all kinds. "This is where we ought to be able to find the parts we need?" Padme asks, slightly breathless from the long hike through the endless desert.

"We ought to have little trouble in doing so, I feel. Although I sense a disturbance in the Force around this particular area," he murmurs in response, leading them through a rough looking crowd.

Bekah sighs as she looks around, careful not to meet the eyes of anyone. "Were you thinking of a major or smaller dealer?"

"One of the smaller ones would be the preferable choice," he informs her. "This one might do it," he gestures towards a small building in front of them as he changes his direction.

Later that night

"Anakin?" Bekah calls softly as she joins him and Qui-Gon outside. "Your mom wants you to go to bed."

He smiles up at her sweetly. "Okay, Bekah," he answers as he runs inside past her.

With a small smile, she settles on the ledge the small boy had just vacated. Seeing this, Qui-Gon smiles himself. "You're fond of children?" he asks her.

She laughs softly. "They're just so sweet, so innocent. You just can't find that kind of spirit in anyone else." She gazes at him curiously. "You're developing a soft spot for him, aren't you?"

He nods slowly. "I guess so. It's just that I have a feeling about Ani… something about a prophecy."

"Prophecy?" she asks with a raised brow. "I have a hard time believing in predictions of the future, especially since the one about my world ending on a certain day of the year never happened a few years ago."

"The end of your world? How was that supposed to have been predicted? Through the Force?" he asks, incredulous and suddenly worried.

She shakes her head. "It was determined that the end of a calendar from an ancient, lost civilization meant that the world would end on the date that it finished. They were highly advanced in astronomy and other primal technologies, if you compared them with every other civilization from their time period." She gazes sadly at her hands. "I honestly knew nothing of the Force until a couple of months ago. Nobody from back home knows of it, or ever will, even if they do happen to be Force-Sensitive."

He recoils in shock. "No such thing as the Force for an entire planet?"

"Not even a trace," she confirms. "It's a neutralizing planet, from what I've been told by my friend."

He sighs as she looks into the night sky. "Bekah, who is your friend, and Vader?"

She yawns and rubs her eyes tiredly. "I don't even know anymore. I just know that they're both being lied to, wherever they're really from, and it's set them on the wrong path." She slips off the ledge slowly. "I'm going to bed, Qui-Gon. Good-" she gasps, and summons her lightsaber to her hand, catching the red blade swinging down, barely in time to save Qui-Gon from being decapitated.

The offender gasps, and the red blade is immediately deactivated. "Bekah!" a familiar voice cries, as the darkly clothed human pounces on the tired girl, who barely deactivates her blade in time.

"Ida?!" she gasps in surprise, keeping herself upright only by spinning the weight of her friend around.

"I'm so sorry! I thought-" Amidala begins to babble, before finding a hand sealing her mouth shut.

"Ida, have you been here the whole time?" she whispers, wary of the eavesdropping Jedi. "No, answer that later. We can't talk here."

Amidala pulls away from the silencing hand. "Fine. But where's my dad? I can feel him somewhere on this planet."

"On the outskirts," she vaguely answers aloud. _He didn't want to face this planet again, not after what happened with your grandma. We're at the day your parents met, and Anakin is racing in the Boonta Eve tomorrow. I'll introduce you as Ida Sky, they already know Vader, but we'll just go with that being his nickname, since he supposedly doesn't care for having others know his last name. Got it?_

"Okay," Ida responds, with a barely noticeable nod of acknowledgement. She then turns to the Jedi Master she had nearly killed. "I'm sorry for nearly killing you, sir. I simply reacted to sensing a Jedi near Bekah."

The Jedi, though clearly shaken, nods in acceptance. "I accept the apology, young one. If you would be so kind as to introduce yourself? I am Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn."

Bekah steps in here, pulling away the lightsaber clutched in her friend's hand. "This is Ida Sky, Vader's daughter. The portal must have dumped her here."

"And Sith Apprentice, I can see," he drawls, making both girls bristle.

"And how else would I have learned of the Force? My adoptive parents certainly wanted to make sure I wouldn't even know of my adoption, let alone the Force and outside galaxy," she growls, taking one step towards the Jedi.

A hand on her shoulder instantly soothes her. "Ida, don't. You know he never had anything to do with it," Bekah reminds her. "And you're tired, that's why this is getting to you. Shmi gave me a bed, so we can share, and I'll see about getting you a bed on the ship tomorrow." She returns her attention to the Jedi Master again. "Good night," she murmurs, before dragging her friend into the small Skywalker home.

Qui-Gon stares up at the stars for a moment, before contacting his Padawan. "Obi-Wan?" he calls into his comm.

"Yes Master?" he answers almost immediately.

"I'm sending you a blood sample. I want you to test for a midichlorian count," he orders Obi-Wan as he uses his transmitter to send the information from the blood sample he took while cleaning Anakin's cut.

"Just a moment, Master. I'm receiving the information now." He hesitates for a moment. "I've also run a midichlorian test for Bekah, and hers is only slightly less than Master Yoda's count."

"That's odd," Qui-Gon muses to himself. "A person with that high of a midichlorian count should be able to be easily detected, no matter how far away from the Core worlds they may be."

He hears Obi-Wan let out a breath of surprise. "I just finished the count for the blood sample you just sent, Master. The readings are off the charts, well beyond Master Yoda's count. No Jedi alive has a count that beats Master Yoda."

Qui-Gon stares in the direction he senses Anakin falling asleep. "No Jedi ever has."

"Master, what do these counts mean? Is this a warning or a gift from the Force?" the Padawan asks in utter confusion.

The elder Jedi sighs. "I don't know, Padawan. I don't know."

I don't own Star Wars


	12. Chapter 12

After the race

"Qui-Gon?" Bekah asks him in a small voice behind him.

He turns to her, finding Anakin gazing up at him pleadingly. "What is it?"

"Anakin would like me to go with him to sell his podracer. Would that be alright, while you take the parts to the ship with Ida and Padme?" she asks as Anakin steps closer to her.

"That is fine. I will meet with you at his home when I return," he acquiesces, knowing by now just how immovable from a plan of action she truly is. "Just be careful, alright?"

The two younger humans grin widely and nod. "Thanks, Mister Qui-Gon!" Anakin cheers, before grabbing Bekah's hand and literally dragging her over to his pod. "So, how do we do this?" he asks her.

She smiles joyfully and points towards the entrance of the bay. "For starters, I think there may be a bunch of people who have already given offers for the winning pod. How about we look at those, and go from there?"

He nods and they go over to the small crowd shouting offers to a harried looking Watto. "Watto?" he asks carefully.

The toydarian grumbles and flies away, gesturing for the clamoring crowd of humans and many other species of sentients to deal with his former slave. Suddenly realizing his position as the center of their attention, he half hides behind the teen accompanying him, who rests a hand on his back and holds him steady.

"Boy, I'll pay you 3,000 for your pod!" one voice shouts from the back of the gathering.

A higher pitched voice exclaims, "I'll pay 5,000!"

A grating, electronic voice intones, "7,000 right now." Even more voices blend in, the value steadily increasing with the volume of the bidding.

Getting somewhat frustrated with the shouting of random amounts from the crowd, Bekah shouts, "Shut it!" The crowd instantly silences, though not without a little working of the Force on her part. "Now, let's try to be calm about this, and let me continue with the values. Raise your hand if you are willing to pay the amount, and if you don't want to pay, then you can leave."

Anakin gives her a grateful smile. "Thanks," he whispers.

She smiles down at him and calls out, "The last value I heard was 14,000. Any takers?" Ten hands raise, and fifteen beings walk away with disgust, but full wallets. "Okay, 15,000?" Nine remain. "16,000?" Five left. "Okay, now you can share what you are willing to pay," she instructs them tiredly.

A Neimoidian has a smug air about him as he steps forward. "I will pay 20,000 for the winning pod," he informs the duo formally.

Only one of the other bidders, a snotty looking human with clothes fancier than the common garb, steps forward. "I will make my final offer at 22,000, and not one bid higher."

The Neimoidian gapes, and shakes his head when Bekah raises a brow to see if he will raise his bid. "I cannot match that price, regrettably."

Anakin and Bekah nod, and shake hands with the slimy human. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, sir," the younger human informs the elder man.

"A pleasure, young man." He pulls out the chips and counts the value he offered, placing them into Bekah's hands. "Thank you very much."

She smiles tightly at the man, simply gesturing for him to go into the garage and take the pod, before kneeling before Anakin. "Ani, that's more money than I thought anyone would ever offer for the winning pod! Congratulations!"

He grins and gives her a quick hug. "I didn't even think I would get offers of over ten thousand!" He then gasps, and pulls away from her. "I think I might be able to buy mom her freedom with this money! Can we go find Watto and ask him? Please?"

"Yeah… we can do that," she whispers, nodding carefully.

Without hesitation, the nine-year-old pulls the nearly eighteen-year-old along behind him, dodging around people offering congratulations to him for having won the race, though some are rather bitter for having bet on any one of the racers not having been the young human. He accepts each congratulation kindly, if not a bit shyly, though obviously enjoying the attention he would never have otherwise received. They slowly make their way back to Watto's shop, where they find the blue toydarian sulking over the loss of most of his money and his prized slave behind the counter.

The boy, sensing that his owner is upset, having not known of the other bet Qui-Gon had made, is unaware of his new freedom, approaches quietly. "Watto?" he asks hesitantly, though confidently.

"What is it, boy?" is the growled reply, without making eye contact.

"Um, how much money do you want so I can buy Mom's freedom?"

The Toydarian's wings falter in holding him aloft. "You want mother's freedom, eh? How much money will you pay me, huh?"

Anakin looks back to Bekah, unable to figure out how to make this bargain. "We can offer fifteen thousand for his mother, sir," she informs Watto carefully. "However, we can offer little more than that."

The alien scowls at her, and floats up to her, getting into her face. "You think to torment me by taking the last thing I have, do you? She's not for sale, you can't have her."

She glares darkly at the blue, flying creature before her with a building anger. "Really? What use do you have for her now? You've gambled away almost all you had by betting on Sebulba, when you should have at least bet a little on Anakin. It seems to me you will have to sell her sooner or later to make ends meet, or you'll lose her to someone else in your next gambit. Admit it, you won't be able to take care of her with your empty wallet now."

Watto visibly deflates, having had the truth exposed in such a harsh manner. "Alright, fine," he grumbles sadly after a moment. "Sixteen thousand, and she's free."

Without hesitation, she takes the chips with the money and drops them onto the counter. "Thank you for your business, Watto. May you learn from your mistakes before you lose what little you have left." She leads the small boy out of the shop, taking the papers Watto hands over as well as the transmitter for Shmi's tracker. The second they are back in the sunlight, they find Qui-Gon walking past a nearby building. Shoving the new items into her pockets and taking Anakin's hand, they hurry up to him. "Qui-Gon!" she calls, making the man pause in the middle of the road.

"Ah, Bekah, Ani. You've left Watto's shop?" he asks, frowning in confusion.

"We have a surprise for mom," Anakin whispers conspiratorially. "Don't tell her, please?"

The Jedi Master raises a brow, and strokes his beard in thought. "Are you going to share with me?" he asks in amusement, thinking they merely had a small trinket for Shmi.

The younger duo smirk at each other. "Of course not, we wanna surprise you both," is all Bekah will say, Anakin nodding along as she hands him his money.

He merely shakes his head. "You two were up to something. It's nothing too bad, is it?"

Anakin laughs and releases Bekah's hand, choosing to walk alongside the Jedi he has come to worship. "It's a really good surprise, I promise!" With that, he speeds up his pace, and dashes into his home ahead of his two guests. "Mom, look at this! We sold the pod!" they hear as they reach the doorway, the Jedi allowing the girl to enter first.

"Oh, Ani! That's amazing," she praises her little boy, cupping his cheek. "I'm so proud of you!"

Qui-Gon chuckles at the sweet scene before him. "You have much to be proud of, Shmi. He has earned his freedom," he informs the group.

They all gape up at him, before Anakin bursts. "What?!"

He smiles down at the small boy with something like pride gleaming in his eyes. "You are no longer a slave to Watto."

The two youngest in the room trade brilliant grins, before Bekah reaches into her pocket. "Well, that's some of the best news we've had today, but I think I might be able to one-up you, Qui-Gon." She pulls out the transmitter and paperwork from Watto. "Shmi, would you care to do the honors of informing our favorite Jedi Master what this is?"

Her eyes widen and her hands fly to her mouth. "My slave papers! And the control to my transmitter! How did you get those from him?!"

"Well, Anakin was the center of a small bidding war for his racer, and we got someone to pay us 22,000 credits. Then Anakin thought of the most amazing gift he could think of to you, and I had a small… chat with Watto." She then smiles at the mother staring at her. "Once he saw that I wasn't wrong, he asked for 16,000. And now, here we are."

Tears in her eyes, Shmi rises from her seat and rushes to the young girl, crushing her into a hug. "Thank you so much!" she whispers, before kneeling to pull her son into her arms. "We are free," she whispers into his hair, almost disbelieving.

After a moment, Anakin pulls away from his mother's arms, and gazes hopefully up to Qui-Gon. "What's gonna happen to us now, Master Qui-Gon?"

He kneels down to be more on level with the boy as Shmi leads Bekah into the back of their small home to pack what little belongings she and Anakin will need for the journey ahead. "That is up to you, but if you would like, I could take you to the Jedi Temple, and we can see if you will be allowed to begin your training." He closes his eyes, and resorts to giving him a hope. "I don't know about your mother, but I will see to it that she is safe, and happy wherever she goes."

"Just like I've always wanted to, sir?" he asks, his voice hushed slightly.

The Jedi sighs as he shakes his head. "It won't be an easy path, and I can't promise you anything. The council will have to discuss this matter, and I have no way of guaranteeing that you will enjoy it. But you have the potential to make it."

Anakin squares his shoulders and sets his jaw stubbornly. "I know I can do it," he informs Qui-Gon.

"We know you can do it Anakin, otherwise it wouldn't have been an offer," Bekah murmurs as she reenters the room with the boys. "Now, we have your things packed up for you, and Threepio is going to have to try to keep up with us as we go to the ship."

"Oh Master Ani, I am not so sure about the idea of going on a starship," the incomplete droid complains in a manner Bekah is not so fond of hearing once again. "It just is not a good idea, and may I remind you that I have never been in space before? Just think of all the dangers!"

"It's okay, Threepio," Anakin tries to assure his hysterical creation. "I've never been in space either. It'll be fun, trust me!"

The droid shakes its head, but calms down nevertheless. "I do hope that it isn't as bad as I fear it might be."

Smiling, the teen offers Anakin his bag, filled with his tools, spare droid parts, and some clothes. "Are you ready?"

He swallows nervously as he takes his bag, settling the straps over his shoulders easily. "I guess."

She smiles tightly, then seemingly glides from the house, quickly followed by the three human companion and obnoxious droid. "Is there anyone you want to say goodbye to, Anakin? Shmi?"

"Yeah, I want to stop by Jira's stand really quick," Anakin pipes up excitedly, thinking of the money he has that won't be any good where he's going.

"Then we ought to get going, shouldn't we?" Shmi smiles down at him, taking his hand and leading the way.

Qui-Gon catches up to Bekah, and when they reach Jira's small food stand, leads her away to give the others a bit of privacy. "You are worried, young one. Anything that might be of some concern to me?"

She quickly shakes her head, refusing to meet his gaze. "It's nothing," she whispers.

He sighs and crosses his arms. "I would appreciate the truth." When she simply turns her face away, he reaches out, grabbing her chin and forcing her to meet his gaze. "Bekah," he quietly growls, though it seems to be more of a plea.

"I… I miss home, and I miss my mom," she mutters, pulling away from his grip. "I want to go home, I have for months."

Shocked, he lets his hand fall back to his side. "Then why haven't you?"

"Hah, like I could," she laughs humorlessly. "I don't know where home is, and now I can't ever get back."

"We're all set now!" Anakin calls, running up to them as Qui-Gon opens his mouth to continue interrogating his first straggler.

With a quick look promising his questions are not over, he smiles down at Anakin. "Well then, let us be off," he says with a wave of his arm, indicating for Bekah to lead the way through Mos Eisley. However, just as they reach the last of the buildings of the spaceport, a black, hovering droid rushes the group from behind, a vicious claw arm sparking with purple electricity. Before it can bring any harm to the group, Qui-Gon draws his lightsaber on it, in the same motion lighting the deadly blade and slicing the malicious device nearly in two.

"Whoa, what is that?" Anakin asks, half scared at the close encounter yet awed by the foreign technology.

"A probe?" Bekah suggests, keeping an eye out for another.

The Jedi nods in agreement. "I would have to agree with that. But I've never seen anything quite like this one." He sucks in a breath as his head shoots up. "We need to get out of here. Now!" He grabs Shmi by the elbow as they start running, Anakin automatically grabbing Bekah's hand as they charge out of the town, trying to get to the outskirts before the owner of the droid could track either them or the queen back.

 _Ida, tell them to get the ship ready to go! We might have been found!_ Bekah calls out to her friend on the ship as her feet slide around in the sand as she runs.

 _Okay, I'm going to the cockpit now. How far away are you?_

Bekah shakes her head and pants as the heat of running in the desert makes her head swirl. _We're close, maybe another few minutes._

 _Okay._ Her presence vanishes from Bekah's mind before rushing back in. _The startup is underway, we can go the second all of you are on board._

 _Thanks,_ she calls back, before using her physical voice again. "Qui-Gon, they'll be ready when we get there," she pants, almost weakly as her shoulder stings, and a warm trickle down her arm begins again.

"Alright," he calls back to her, hardly breathless from their fast pace, which can't be said of the former slaves and herself. "Come on, we're almost there," he encourages them, feeling their weariness through the Force, before the warning of danger at the crest of the hill overlooking the ship nearly freezes his heart. He looks back to where the younger two are lagging behind to find a darkly cloaked figure on some kind of speeder nearly on top of them. "Bekah, Ani, down!" he shouts in a panic, shoving Shmi behind himself as they obey, drawing his lightsaber.

The two of them dive to the sand just as the cloaked being passes over them, preparing to jump off and reaching for a long handled lightsaber clipped to a belt. "Ani!" Shmi shouts, fearing for her son's life.

Head spinning, Bekah pushes the little boy to run for the ship, reaching down to her boot for her lightsaber as Qui-Gon ignites his own in defense. "Anakin, tell them to take off!" she orders him, pushing herself to her feet to offer what little experience she has to aid the Master Jedi.

Before she even takes two steps forward, a gloved hand rises, aim set right to her heart. "Bekah, look out!" Qui-Gon shouts, a second too late as lightning flies through the air between her and his opponent. With a scream of agony, she finds herself thrown back into the sand, writhing as her vision fails her, and her head swirls around worse than before, only this time laced with pain.

I don't own Star Wars


	13. Chapter 13

Qui-Gon lowers his head into his hands with a heavy sigh, guilt tearing at him for what had happened when that creature -Sith?- had attacked him.

 _She charges up behind the darkly cloaked figure, lightsaber ignited, when it turns on her, arm outstretched to throw the unnatural, deadly blue lightning at her, aiming straight for her heart. His warning reaches her barely too late, and she can only widen her eyes in shock as the lightning lances her way. She falls into the sand screaming in agony for mere seconds before she falls unconscious, the attack too much for her already exhausted and weakened body._

" _No!" he shouts as he uses the opening she had created for him, and with hardly a thought runs his blade through the shoulder of the being, the sickening resistance as the lightsaber cuts through bone and muscle to separate the body from the arm holding the long-handled blade only lasting for a fraction of a second._

 _The being howls in rage and agony, letting up on the attack on the teen in favor of clutching at the place where the arm had been just a second ago. Without a second thought, the Jedi Master twirls the blade around and drives the blade through the heart of their attacker, before sweeping the blade up and removing the red and black horned head from the darkly clothed body._

 _He quickly deactivates his blade and practically falls next to the still form of the teen. "Bekah?" he calls softly, cupping her cheek in his hand and brushing away the grains of sand sticking to her pale, sweaty face. He feels her faint breath on his wrist, but she remains unresponsive. A quick check of her pulse reveals it to be weak, and a quick look shows a prominent, growing bloodstain down the sleeve of her jacket beginning to soak into the sand. Hearing the engines of the starship warming up, he scoops her into his arms, calls the blade of the fallen opponent to his hand, and runs to the ship, just as the incomplete droid shuffles on board._

" _Master! What happened? Are you hurt?" Obi-Wan asks, rushing over from the lift to the cockpit with Anakin clinging to his side._

 _The Master shakes his head. "She's injured, and unresponsive."_

 _His Padawan pales at the sight of the blood running down the girl's arm, and removes her from his Master's arms, uncaring of the fact that the blood stains his tan tunic. "What was it that attacked you?"_

" _I don't know, Padawan. I don't know," he whispers sadly._

 _Anakin takes one of his hands and squeezes gently, making the older man meet his gaze. "Are you alright?"_

 _He finally smiles gently at the boy, and leads both child and Padawan to the lift, and takes them to the bunkroom. "I'm fine, Anakin." He pulls back the thin blanket on the one bunk that can be used for medical purposes, and moves away so Obi-Wan can deposit Bekah onto the bunk._

" _And Bekah? Is she gonna be okay?"_

" _I sincerely hope so, Anakin." Taking a deep breath, he helps his Padawan to remove the bloody jacket from their unconscious patient, only to find that her wound has not only opened up under the bandage, but completely soaked through the formerly white bandage. "Anakin, find the girl from this morning, Ida. She said she is a decent Healer, and Bekah needs help fast."_

" _Yes sir!" he chirps, before dashing off to find Ida._

"Master Jinn?" Ida asks gently from where she kneels next to Bekah on the floor.

His head jerks up, startled out of his thoughts. "Yes, Ida?" he asks with a frown.

She smiles gently at the reaction, silently proud she had startled the extremely tall Jedi. "You wanna talk about it?"

He slumps with a sigh. "I feel that her situation is my fault. Had I paid better attention to her, I would have seen that her wound had reopened, that she was unwell. And the fact that she drew the attacker's attention at the cost of her health."

The smile remains as she shakes her head. "I would have been surprised if you had noticed."

"What is that to mean, young lady?" he asks in confusion.

She shrugs. "She doesn't like being fussed over, so she hides her pain. She's always tired, so fatigue never comes off as meaning something is wrong."

"And that doesn't bother you at all as her friend?" he asks incredulously.

"It bothers me more than I let her know. But I let her do what she wants if it makes her happy." She turns sad blue eyes to the Jedi, and he sees just how much she truly is disturbed by this. "If something is truly wrong, she just shuts down sometimes, or others she'll go home to deal with it. She doesn't let many people in, and I can't understand how she's let you and your Padawan in so easily."

"Listen," he starts slowly. "I need to know as much about her as you can tell me."

"She's… well, she's adopted, and she can't remember anything from before she was five years old, and when she tried to find her birth parents… it was like they never existed." At his raised eyebrows, she clears her throat. "The hospital sent a blood sample to the authorities to see if they could find out who her parents were, but there was no match whatsoever. I joked that she was related to aliens, and that was the last we thought of it, which happened around five years ago."

He looks at the sleeping girl with a bit of surprise. "No parents?"

She shakes her head. "No, but sometimes she would tell me about some really odd dreams she would have… of war, fear, uncertainty, loss… death. But others she could remember were a series of images of a woman, lonely and crying sometimes, but sometimes a man would be there, both smiling down at her, as she reached for them."

"Possibly what happened to bring her to your homeworld?" he asks in wonder.

She shrugs and moves to lay down in the bunk across from her friend. "I don't know, she only ever mentioned these dreams very rarely. But she doesn't trust easily, hasn't since she was little from what her parents told me, so it was a bit of a shocker when we were best friends within minutes of meeting." She turns a tired gaze onto the Jedi. "I'm not sure why she trusted me so easily, but I have a feeling that she might have recognized something about me, if she was dumped on Earth as a baby… like me."

"Earth?" he asks in confusion.

"The planet we were raised on. It would be a very long trip through uncharted space beyond the Outer Rim to get there." She has a fond smile on her face as she remembers the place she had been raised. "The planet has so many different environments, like the eternal winters of Hoth, or the scorching deserts of Tatooine… and so many different cultures and religions that constantly clash in the form of war." She closes her eyes and breathes deeply. "But the technology is so far behind what you have here, that they seem to be stuck in the Stone Ages."

He chuckles, unable to imagine such a world. "You'll have to show us sometime, Ida."

"Maybe you'll see it for yourself without our help, Master Qui-Gon," she murmurs sleepily, before her breathing evens out, her eyes gently shut in a peaceful sleep.

He smiles gently, and covers her in the blanket she had folded back hours before, when she had first come in to care for Bekah. Carefully, he tucks the blanket around her shoulders before stepping out of the room, only to find Anakin tucked in under a bright red blanket on the bench at the table with his mother. He finds that, while Shmi is fast asleep, Anakin is wide awake, and shivering slightly.

"Cold?" he asks.

The small boy nods. "Yeah, even with the blanket."

The Jedi takes a seat across from Shmi on the bench. "Come and sit with me, Ani," he invites, to which the boy immediately slips out from under the blanket to join Qui-Gon.

Just as he curls up next to Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Vader step off of the lift. "Master?" the former asks, before yawning widely.

"Good evening Padawan, Vader," he greets them quietly as Anakin curls into his side, somehow having wrapped himself in the man's cloak.

"Good evening," the Sith murmurs. "Would you be willing to inform me where my daughter is hiding?"

The Jedi Master chuckles at the hidden exasperation in the father's voice. "She just went to sleep a few minutes ago, Vader. Although, she did have some curious information regarding her friend that she imparted to me when I asked."

The man, still hooded even though there is no need for it, tilts his head in curiosity. "She informed me there wasn't much to tell when the girls escaped from those holding them, although there wasn't much time to talk as I was… busy," he informs them as they each take seats, though Vader is careful to maintain a small distance between himself and both Shmi and Obi-Wan, his stiff posture indicating he's a bit uncomfortable.

Qui-Gon wraps a large arm around the boy already dozing against his side. "She informed me that Bekah is actually adopted, with no parents to be found on Earth."

Vader stiffens at the information. "What? She was… not of Earth?"

Obi-Wan frowns at that. "Well, it could explain why the computer indicated that she is of Naboo descent. Although there aren't any other definite indicators of her descent, she is classified as being half Nubian."

The Sith blinks and his fists clench. "No… that's… impossible."

Qui-Gon regards him with sudden worry. "What is impossible?"

"My wife, about seventeen years ago, during a war, was devastated when our first child, who we had adopted, was abducted. A few days after that, when I returned, we received a note that we would never see her again. But when we would see her, it would be too late to bring her home." He gives a shaky breath. "She made me think of someone who gave me a chance in life, and she and Ida are so close that they could be sisters," he breathes.

Obi-Wan suddenly pales. "If she is that child? What will you do?"

"Ground her for life, and never let her out of my sight again. Both of those troublemakers," he growls.

Qui-Gon chuckles quietly, as Obi-Wan shakes his head. "And just how are you going to go about proving that she is your adopted child? And how will you get on good terms with her?" the former asks, wrapping his cloak tighter around the child next to him.

Vader shrugs, and seems to slightly relax. "I'll figure that one out when the time comes."

I don't own Star Wars….


	14. Chapter 14

When Obi-Wan enters the bunk room to inform Ida that they had finally returned to Coruscant, he finds her to still be asleep, but with Bekah glaring up at the ceiling in boredom. "Now what did that poor ceiling ever do to you?" he asks jokingly.

Her gaze loses the angry spark as she turns her gaze upon him, and she drones in a dull voice, "It's there, and I'm bored."

"Well, at least you're showing some improvement," he murmurs as he steps over to Ida's bunk, reaching out to shake her shoulder gently. "How do you feel?"

She hums quietly for a moment. "A bit sore, and I've got this ringing in my ears that won't go away, and I feel kinda… heavy, like something heavy's holding me down." She looks up at him as Ida yawns and he steps away from her. "Is that normal after being electrocuted?"

He shrugs helplessly. "I honestly don't know. But Master Qui-Gon would like for you to join us in going straight to the Temple so that our healers can take care of you." He hesitates before giving in to her curious gaze. "Also, the Council may have an interest in speaking with both of you and Vader."

Ida perks up at the idea. "Do you think they might let me join the Order?" she asks hopefully.

"Ida, seriously?" Bekah asks in exasperation.

"What?" she asks defensively as she sits up. "I'd rather be a Jedi and be happy than a Sith and spread misery."

Her friend sighs and looks up to the Padawan, whose gaze seems to be more gentle than she might have thought. "What's going on?"

With an amused smirk, her finally broaches the subject he came to discuss originally. "We are getting ready to land on Coruscant, we should be ready to disembark within the next few minutes." Almost as if on cue, the ship jerks slightly, then settles as the whining of the engines dies into silence. "Well, maybe I was a little off." He offers each of the girls an arm as they sit up. "Would you like to join me, ladies?"

The girls share a smirk, and gently take their offered arm. "Charmer," the elder of the two laughs.

He smiles smugly to himself and leads them out of the bunkroom, only to have Ida jump from his arm into those of her father, still hooded in his black cloak. "Hi Dad," she chirps.

The tall man chuckles and pulls her close. "Hello, Ida," he greets her in return. "Did you sleep well?"

"No nightmares, if that's what you mean," she drawls as she rolls her eyes. "Then again, _he_ doesn't have any more influence over me."

Anakin and Shmi smile at the joy between the father and daughter, not having realized that it is Anakin's future self and his almost sixteen-year-old daughter. "Well, you two seem very close," Shmi comments gently.

Vader has a fond gentleness in his eyes as he regards Shmi. "We have gotten rather close after not having known of one another all her life." His attention shifts to Qui-Gon as he steps off of the lift with the Queen and her handmaidens, the one on the queen's left side being Padme, who smiles at Ani and his mother. "Master Jedi," he greets the slightly taller man.

"Good morning, everyone," he greets the occupants of the room, before frowning at Bekah, who leans slightly on Obi-Wan, who is more than willing to keep her upright. "Ida, Bekah, Vader, we would appreciate it if the three of you would accompany us to the Jedi Temple once we've greeted the Chancellor and Senator."

The three each have different reactions: Ida is excited, Bekah is not exactly thrilled, and Vader almost shuts down. Deciding to break the silence, Bekah asks, "I'm being taken right to the Healers, aren't I?" in a resigned tone, conveying a dislike of the idea altogether.

Qui-Gon nods with an amused glint in his eyes. "Yes, but it is necessary that you go there as soon as possible."

"What about us, Master Jinn?" Shmi asks, holding tightly to her son's shoulder.

The Queen steps forward with a comforting smile. "You may join us at our residence unless you are needed elsewhere."

She smiles and bows to the young queen before her. "Thank you, your Highness. You are far too kind."

"You deserve nothing less, Shmi Skywalker. Both for you and your son," she replies honestly and kindly. "Now, let's all of us greet those awaiting us outside."

Arrival at the Jedi Temple

"Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi coming here willingly?" Healer Kinla, a pale blue Twi'Lek, calls teasingly. "This must be a hallucination!"

The Jedi master scowls. "We're not that bad," he grumbles.

"Besides, we're not here for us," Obi-Wan informs the Healer. "We have a friend who could use your expertise."

An annoyed Bekah, wearing a bloodstained blue tunic and rumpled black leggings, being held by the Padawan, grumbles, "I can walk on my own, Kenobi."

"Forgive me for not wanting you to fall and hurt yourself further, Bekah," he growls back seriously.

The healer's eyes widen fractionally in shock at the state of the girl. "And just how did she get into this condition?" she asks as she steps up to the girl, reaching out with the Force to check for internal injuries.

"That remains to be determined," Qui-Gon informs the healer.

Kinla frowns as she takes the girl by the shoulders and leads her down the hall. "Well, you are in no state to be up and about, young lady," she scolds gently. "I can feel that you're still worn out from whatever's happened to you. And I assure you, I will find out what has happened to you." A resigned sigh, with heaved shoulders, is all they can see of the girl being led away. Kinla turns back to fix Vader and Ida with a determined glint in her eye. "You two will stay here to get a check-up as well. I won't have any hidden injuries pass through my ward."

Obi-Wan barely contains a smirk at the groan coming not from the younger girl, but from the former Sith Lord. "I don't think that would be wise, in my case," he grumbles under his breath.

"Face it, Dad," Ida chirps, as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon turn away from them. "You knew this was coming, sooner or later. I've had to go to the infirmary how many times since you found me, and you haven't gone once?"

"That's because I've learned some self-preservation," he teases, making her pout. "But if I must tolerate the Healers once more, then I'll cooperate in order to get it over with as quickly as possible."

She looks away suddenly. "Yeah," she mutters distractedly.

 _Screaming, begging. It's too hot. Too hot too hot too hot-_

"Ida?" Vader's voice breaks through her daze.

Startled, she jumps a bit. "Huh?" she asks, berating herself for losing her focus. Then she notices that she's no longer standing, but is slumped in a chair by the entrance to the Healing Hall. "What happened?"

He takes in her slightly trembling hands, and slightly pale face. "I… think you just… had a vision. And a rather… unpleasant one at that." He looks deeply into her eyes. "What did you see?"

"Nothing," she whispers. "It was a lot of screaming, and then it was getting really hot. I couldn't see anything, or hear anything else." As he frowns in thought, she notices that the Jedi Master and Padawan had already left. "Where did they go?"

"They left to report to the Council a few minutes ago. They'll be back afterwards."

Council Chamber

"We hope that there will be no further incidents with the possibility of the Sith, or any Dark Jedi, attacking again," Mace states clearly after a moment of silence following the tale of the past several days. "We will, however, investigate this matter further."

"There is more we have to discuss, Masters," Qui-Gon informs the Council, his Padawan not having moved at the clear dismissal.

Yoda sighs, closing his eyes. "The fate of the five, it concerns, does it not?"

"Indeed, Master Yoda," Qui-Gon confirms. "All are powerful in the Force, and the eldest of them, Vader, seems to have only fallen due to outside influences, but appears to have intimate knowledge of the Force, and Jedi techniques. The next one, Bekah Ree, is of unknown parentage, but may have been adopted by Vader before being abducted in some conflict. She and the other young lady were both raised on the planet known as Earth, which I have never heard of myself, where the Force is both unknown, and neutralized by the planet itself." He clears his throat before continuing. "The second young lady is Ida Sky, Vader's daughter, and has only several months of training, but is a prodigy in combat, but not so skilled with more than healing with the Force. Anakin and his mother are former slaves of Tattooine, though Anakin is the only one of the two to have the Force. He is immensely powerful, with a midichlorian count higher than even yours, Master Yoda."

"And what would you have us do?" Ki-Adi Mundi inquires, curiosity piqued.

Qui-Gon casts his gaze around the room. "I would ask that the younger three be tested, and possibly invited to join the Order."

The Master seated around them blink, and stare in disbelief. "From what you have shared, the youngest is nine years of age. That is much too old to join the Order without any kind of training," Mace breaks as kindly to his friend as possible. "However, we would be willing to make an exception for the older three, seeing as one is already fully trained, and the girls have prior experience."

"But what would we do if they were to fall to the Dark Side, Masters?" Qui-Gon asks the room in disbelief. "Anakin already looks up to us, and he must be trained. We can't just let him be."

"Not your decision to make, it is," Yoda informs the Jedi before him. "Test them, we will, but no promises will there be made."

"Thank you Masters," Obi-Wan cuts in when his master is about to protest, bowing to the Council. "May the Force be with you." He drags his Master out of the room before he can say anything further.

"Obi-Wan, what do you think you're doing?" His master growls once the doors have closed behind them.

The Padawan raises his brow. "Master, I told you they might not accept any of them into the Order. That they are even being tested is incredible. Besides, only Vader and Ida stand a chance of being accepted. Bekah will refuse even if she is accepted, and Anakin won't even be given the offer."

"We have to try, my Padawan. My feelings tell me that to allow even one of them not to enter the Order could lead to disaster." He sighs. "But the future isn't set, and I'm no Seer, yet something tells me having them as our allies is imperative."

A light chuckle from in front of them startles both, and they are shocked to find Bekah leaning against the wall before them, all cleaned up and wearing a light outfit of cargo pants, a fitted black tank top, and her combat boots, her lightsaber clipped to her belt right next to her blaster holster, her foot propped against the wall behind her. "So not even you know what the Force is trying to tell you."

"And you do?" he bites back.

She grins, her amusement clearly not abating. "Of course I know, but that's not a story I can share for a long time, if ever. After all, time has already altered the course of events with the freedom of one, the survival of another, and the loss of the aggressor."

"Must you speak in riddles?" the Master asks.

"Yes, I must. If I want to share anything, the riddles are your only clues." She stops grinning at last. "However, I doubt you would be able to understand what I'm referring to until long after out time has run out."

"Time?" Obi-Wan questions, sharing a look with his Master.

The council room door opens behind them, and Mace Windu is standing there. "Miss Ree, you may enter now."

"Of course, Master Windu." She pushes away from the wall, schooling her features into a blank mask, shielding her mind further from the probes she can already sense coming her way.

She ignores the openly shocked expressions every member of the Council and the Master Padawan team as she comes to stand in the center of the room, smirking minutely to herself. "Very powerful you must be, young one," Yoda greets her.

She turns a gentle smile onto the ancient Grandmaster. "I like to play with the minds of those around me, Master Yoda. I'm afraid you'll have to excuse my antics, it's merely a hobby I haven't had anyone to practice on for a long time that didn't anticipate it."

Yoda chuckles at this, tapping his cane on the ground lightly. "Much fun there is to be had here, I sense there would be for you," he informs her as Mace resumes his seat after closing the doors. "Sense secrets around you, I do, and half-truths."

She winces at this, crossing her arms. "Only because I felt it necessary, Master Yoda."

"Judge you for it, I will not. The truth, however, appreciate it I would."

She meets his dark hazel eyes with her light hazel gaze. "I'm not sure of what the consequences of that would be if I were to comply, Master Yoda. Time is a rather… tricky thing to handle."

Master Yaddle starts at this. "Implying you are not from this era, are you?"

The girl before them chuckles. "Where would you get such a funny notion, Master Yaddle? That's the work of fiction, isn't it?" she asks, a teasing note in her voice.

"This is a serious matter, young lady," Depa Billaba scolds.

"I know it is, Master Billaba." She clears her throat. "However, I can only say so much if I want to do things the right way."

"The right way?" Mace questions. "Please, enlighten us on what you mean. Do you mean you are a Seer, or something similar?"

"You could consider me a Seer of sorts, seeing as I know of some key events that lead to death, destruction, and misery on a galactic scale." She then shakes her head, and pulls on the tie holding her hair in a neat bun, releasing it to cascade over her shoulders and down to her hips, the grown-out highlights catching the rays of sunlight and giving her hair a glowing reddish-golden aura. "However, since I'm not all that into the idea of that happening if I have anything to say about it, I'll tell you to just trust that Anakin will do much better if you accept him now."

"And, pray tell, what might happen if we don't?" Mace asks, leaning slightly forward, pulling out a viewscreen and resting it in his lap for the moment.

She meets his gaze, and frowns. "Then I'll do what I must to keep what I expect from happening."

"You fear what could happen?" Plo Koon asks hesitantly.

She turns to meet his gaze evenly. "More than you could imagine. And if I have reason to fear, you should all be terrified."

"Why is that?"

"Because back home, where we were in a constant state of war with other countries more than willing to use weapons that could wipe out an entire continent with the click of a button, that was the greatest of our concerns. And little else could possibly scare me." She turns to meet the gaze of Mace again. "And a Sith takeover is one of those things."

"Yet we sense no fear in you, even as you state these things," he intones.

She blinks slowly at him. "I'm unable to get back to Earth, so I have no reason to fear what could happen there. And here, I know it can be stopped, so I prefer not to allow fear to take root." She then raises a brow. "Now, I'm sure I wasn't called up here to discuss what my fears are, or to offer advice, am I right?"

"Correct, you are, young one," Yoda chuckles. "Proceed with your exam, we will."

Mace holds up the screen, and presses the control button to show a series of items. "Tell me what is on this screen."

Eyes sliding closed and stance relaxed, she focuses on nothing, letting the image enter her mind as he speaks. "A speeder... cup… light… saber…" she drones a list, before a phantom heat washes over her, and screams fill her ears, begging for help, for anything to stop the agony.

The Council watches, waiting for her to speak the next answer, before realizing something is very wrong. Only as Mace realizes something is very wrong, she falls to her knees, eyes wide and unseeing, breath coming in short gasps as she grabs her head with both hands, covering her ears, curling in on herself. The Master of the Order drops the screen and rushes over to her, putting his hands over hers.

He stares into her unseeing eyes. "Calm yourself, it is only a vision. Breath, focus on the events you are seeing," he whispers to her, trying but failing to enter her mind, her shielding far too strong for him to hope to pass through. "None of it is real," he whispers to her again.

Her eyes swirl with light, turning a sickly yellow-silver color. _"So the time has come, the crossroads of Fate, a new path revealed. The one meant to fall aided by blood not yet born, the one to die by his apprentice slain by the victim. A new path forged by the travelers will be followed, altering the course of Fate and Time. The child not of the blood of the Son of Suns will bring the new path before the Chosen One, and a final path once not considered will be the only course seen with her second life with the warning of her first,"_ a deep, crackling voice not her own echoes through the room, startling every Master around her. _"The path of the children, once that of allies, will be tested in trials of loss and betrayal, and only truth will heal the shattered bond of sisters not of blood."_

Her eyes fade back to their normal green-hazel color, but silver flecks remain in her eyes. Her hands slip from her ears, and Mace keeps a careful hold on her as she blinks back to awareness, his hands on her shoulders. "Pain, and fire. Life slipping away, begging for help, but no one can help without dying with them," she whispers.

"You must be a Seer," Mace informs her.

"What?" she asks, confusion causing her to frown at the man kneeling before her.

"You just made a prophecy, one that sounds as though it is already in motion," Plo Koon informs her, almost reverently. "There hasn't been a prophecy made in over a thousand years, young one."

She frowns. "What are you talking about? I just saw someone's death, I didn't make a prophecy."

Yoda focuses on her. "A death, you saw. Who?"

She closes her eyes, slowly filling with tears. "Ida. She won't make it through this journey, and no matter what, she will go before her time. And nothing can save her."

Don't own Star Wars. And please, no flaming me. I don't appreciate it. Keep the flames to yourself.


	15. Chapter 15

Council Chamber

Mace stares at the girl in front of him, her head bowed in sorrow for the fate of a friend he knows must be almost like a sister to her, unsure of what to do or say. Thankfully, she raises her head and wipes away the tears that escaped her eyes.

"I won't fight or tempt fate, and I'll do the right thing when the time comes," she whispers, though the Masters all around her hear her as clearly as though she had shouted.

"Very well," Mace mutters, before rising, pulling her up with him. "I feel that we do not need to finish the test."

She smiles, but weakly. "There's not much point, as I don't even want to be a Jedi. I also know that most of you will be against my acceptance due to my age, which I will not argue against."

Yoda's eyes widen in shock. "So against the idea of Jedi, are you, to deny a chance?"

She shakes her head. "I just don't want to give up all that I am for something that goes against all I know." She looks around at the shocked masters. "Besides, I swore I wouldn't wear uniforms again if I could help it years ago. Not to mention, you have all kinds of rules I could never stick to."

"And what goes against all that you know?" Mace asks as he resumes his seat.

"The Jedi Code. About there being no emotion, I could never do that. I've learned that emotions are driving factors, but the real struggle is keeping the heart from influencing the mind." She meets Yoda's gaze evenly. "I don't think I could forget how to feel."

They want to argue that she should reconsider, especially seeing as she has the power to join with the Force strongly enough to deliver a prophecy, when only a handful of the Order today could foresee events within the very near future. The last prophecy to have been made in such a manner was so long ago, none could remember the name of the Jedi to tell it, but all they know is that the line to have given it vanished in the wars following the delivery. For all they know, she could be a descendant of that very Jedi.

"Certain are you, that this is what you want?" Yaddle asks gently.

Bekah smiles sadly at the small Jedi. "I am certain of it."

Mace sighs. "Very well. We will send for Ida Sky now. Do you have anywhere to go?"

"I'm not sure if I can stay, but hopefully Queen Amidala will take me in," she informs them. "Also, if you are going to want to test Anakin, then someone will need to go get him from wherever she is staying."

"Would you be willing to stay at the Temple until after we have decided what to do about his future with the Order?" Mace asks, somewhat nervous that she is so ready to leave, but unable to determine the reason for feeling this way.

She shrugs. "If I can be put somewhere that I won't get into trouble or in the way, I'll be happy to wait around here." She tilts her head, and looks almost shyly around. "Um, actually, could I ask that someone teach me a little bit more about combat? I was taught mostly about using the Force, and didn't have much chance to learn about more than the extreme basics to lightsaber use."

"Of course, young one," Yoda interjects before anyone can speak against it. "Ask that Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi teach you, you should."

She bows to the room as a whole. "Thank you Masters, and I appreciate the offer to join the Order. May the Force be with you." She walks out of the room calmly, passing Vader and Ida as the latter enters the room. "Good luck, Ida," she whispers as she passes.

She enters the lift before Vader can so much as utter a word to her, and reaches out to the Force to lead her to where she can find the Jedi duo. She presses a random button, and breathes a sigh of relief as the lift descends rapidly from the top of the tower.

That Night

Bekah leads a disappointed Anakin from the Jedi Temple. "Anakin, listen, I know you were hoping to join the Order, but it isn't your fault that you weren't accepted."

He looks up with miserable blue eyes. "Really?" he asks in a hopeful voice.

"Really," she whispers, stopping and kneeling to be on eye level with him. "They just don't realize that age shouldn't matter when it comes down to the bare bones of a matter. So long as the person is willing and able, they should be allowed the chance to prove themselves."

"But it's what I've always wanted. I've dreamed of being a Jedi, and now I can't!"

She rests her hands on his shoulders. "I was offered a place, but I didn't want it. You wanted it, but were denied it. They were willing to gamble with me because of something that I don't understand for myself, but I wouldn't join them."

"Why not?" he asks, head tilted and eyes wide with shock.

"Because it isn't something I want for myself, and because I know that it would take away from who I am. I knew you might not be allowed in, but it's because you allow yourself to feel, Ani." At his sound of confusion, she smiles. "You focus on your emotions, and let them control you. They fear that emotions will lead you down a dark path, but I know that while that may be the case, emotions can be what puts you back on the right path."

He frowns at her. "How does that even work?"

She laughs, and ruffles his hair. "I'll give you an example. Say that, one day, you get really mad, and say something bad. You go off and do some things that aren't exactly good, and realize that they are wrong. You regret these actions, and set out to do what you can to fix whatever you've done wrong. Do you understand that?"

He nods, the misery leaving his eyes. "I get it. But what do I do, now that I can't be a Jedi?"

She sighs. "I don't know, but there are things that you could do to help the Jedi, like becoming a police officer or something. Maybe we could find someone that left the Jedi that could teach us both more than what I know."

His eyes light up. "Could you teach me?"

Her breath catches in her throat. "Ani… I wouldn't be the best teacher, and I barely know these things myself. I didn't even want to learn what I did."

"But you still know it, Bekah! Please, can you think about it?" he pleads, eyes wide.

That look almost renders her speechless. After a moment, she nods her head. "I promise to think about it Ani." Before she can say anything more, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan approach them. She rises, keeping a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Good evening," she greets them once again.

"Hello Bekah, Ani," Qui-Gon says with a small smile. "We were informed that the Queen will be returning to Naboo to fight against the Trade Federation, and are to keep an eye out for any more attackers."

Bekah sighs. "How did I know she would do something like that?" she mutters, before meeting Qui-Gon's gaze. "Well, I guess the two of us are tagging along for the ride."

"You mean you're going back as well?" Obi-Wan asks, eyes widening fractionally in surprise.

"No, we're just tagging along to go sightseeing," she answers sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Qui-Gon and a muffled snicker from Anakin. "It isn't like I have anything better to do, and at the least I think I could try helping the Queen."

As Obi-Wan opens his mouth to give an equally sarcastic retort, Qui-Gon motions for him to stay quiet. "And just how do you plan on helping?"

She shrugs, and turns around to continue walking away. "I know my way around using a blaster fairly well, I'm sure she could find some use for that."

"How uncivilized," Obi-Wan mutters under his breath.

"I heard that, Obi-Wan," Bekah calls over her shoulder, before gesturing for them to follow her to the speeder waiting for her, sent by the Queen. "Come on, you can catch a lift with me since my ride's here."

Qui-Gon raises a brow in amusement at his Padawan's gaping. "It seems she is very advanced in the Force. She is definitely not one to underestimate, it seems."

"Master, I spoke barely over a whisper, and there's so much noise out here that I know you should have barely been able to hear me," he informs his Master as they jog over to the waiting speeder.

"Like I said," Bekah interrupts conversationally, "I'm better with using the Force than in combat."

"Modest much?" Obi-Wan grumbles as he takes the seat next to her.

She smiles and nudges him with her elbow as he settles in next to her. "I like playing with people, so I got used to paying attention to my surroundings. You should try doing that sometime, then you would realize that the spot we were in was slightly quieter than the area around us, so I could hear you easily."

Anakin snickers at the older group surrounding him. "What about mom?" he asks suddenly. "And what about me? Won't we be in the way of the fighting?"

Qui-Gon hums thoughtfully. "We'll just have to find a place in the city for you to lay low until it's safe to come out."

"I can imagine there's plenty of hiding places in the palace," Obi-Wan inputs slowly. "I don't see why they wouldn't be safe in one place once it's been secured."

Bekah rolls her eyes. "So where does that leave me?"

The Master levels a stern glare on her, which she meets head on. "If I had my way, you would stay out of this altogether, but as I know you would not listen to me, you will either remain behind to protect them, or go with us to find the Viceroy."

"You know, as much as I would love to make sure Anakin and Shmi are safe," she begins, smiling apologetically at the boy on her other side, "I would be of more use with the rest of you."

"How so?" the Padawan asks, curious despite his wishes not to be.

She gives a feral grin that makes him wish he wasn't sitting next to her. "I like messing with minds, Obi-Wan. And I have a rather… morbid imagination, should things get dire enough."

Qui-Gon frowns worriedly. "Just how morbid?" he asks tentatively.

She closes her eyes, bringing forth the gory details of a dream she had months before the Halloween that set everything into motion. She then opens her eyes, letting the two Jedi access to the memory flashing before her eyes.

 _Fires consume buildings all around her, loud bangs filling the air as she walks calmly through the center of the anarchy surrounding her. People run around her, screaming and covered in burns, soot, and blood in a few cases, some with their clothes torn and burnt._

 _It seems as though nothing bothers her, even as she steps over what might once have been a human body, not even sparing the pile of unrecognizable meat and blood a second glance. It would turn the stomachs of most to see the carnage, and she acknowledges this, even as she understands that it has no effect on her whatsoever._

 _A silver glint from her clenched fist draws attention to a short sword as the scene shifts to a small room, walls stained with blood and the stench of rot and death linger, but she wears a scarf over her lower face to make it easier to breathe the heavy, disgusting air. She stares at the bound form in the chair before her, raising the blade to rest on their knee._

" _I've learned from many others that injuries to the joints hurt the worst," she coos to the trembling man before her, his black eyes wide with fear, his dirty blonde hair soaked in sweat. His muscled body trembles from not just the cold, but the insanity he can see dancing in her eyes, in the softness of her voice given the situation. "Why don't you keep me from experimenting and just tell me what I want to know?"_

" _I-I don't know what you're talking about!" he cries out, before screaming in agony as the blade pierces his flesh._

" _Then why don't I believe you?" she growls, the opposite of the overly-sweet persona she had just displayed. "Tell me what I want to know!"_

 _Only the Jedi can see, with horror, that her eyes flash from a hardened hazel to a sickly, familiar yellow._

They withdraw from the scene she willingly allowed them in to witness. "Satisfied?" she asks rhetorically. They almost shiver as badly as the unknown man in the dream as they nod in answer, unable to answer verbally as they see the insane glint in her eyes, now that they know what to look for. "We're here, gentlemen," she announces softly as their driver pulls to a stop next to the platform with the Nubian spacecraft being prepared for flight once more. "Come on Ani, I want to see your mom again."

The boy excitedly leads her onto the ship, leaving the Jedi to follow slowly behind them, just as the royal party returns to the platform. "I worry about that girl's actual mental state," Obi-Wan murmurs to his Master.

He earns a slight nod in response. "I do too. I fear just what she might be capable of, given the right circumstances. We need to keep a close eye on her, just to be safe."


	16. Chapter 16

On Route to Naboo

Obi-Wan watches the strange girl sleep sitting upright at the table, arms crossed and head barely bowed forward. He wants to enter her mind again just to see what she's dreaming of, but knows that he won't be able to do such a thing. Especially not with shielding as strong as she has it now.

Qui-Gon takes the seat beside him. "How long has she been asleep?" he murmurs quietly.

"An hour since we left Coruscant." He turns to his Master. "What will we have her do when we get to Naboo?"

The older Jedi frowns. "I'm not sure, but I feel it would be in our best interest to not allow her to get too involved in what will surely become a nasty fight."

She sighs, opening her eyes. "And I'll just have to go against those wishes." She directly addresses Qui-Gon. "I was not fully asleep, just trying to sort through my memories again."

"Sorting through your memories for anything in particular?" he asks, intrigued.

She shrugs. "Something I wouldn't associate with Earth, most likely. I don't really know what to look for beyond when I was around five."

They nod slowly. "Ida said you couldn't remember anything from before that age," Obi-Wan murmurs.

"Right. So, now that I have been around something entirely unfamiliar, I'm looking through my mind to see if there's anything I might have been missing for years." She shrugs. "All I'm getting is useless thoughts from school, and a bunch of blurry faces I used to dream of."

"Blurred vision?" Qui-Gon asks again, frowning. "That sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it Padawan?"

Obi-Wan ducks his head, blushing slightly. "I didn't ask to be kidnapped that time, Master! Or for them to give me those drugs to addle me."

"What's familiar about my dreams then?"

Qui-Gon shakes his head with a grimace. "When Obi-Wan and I went on a mission a couple years into our partnership, he was attacked and administered some kind of drug that affected his ability to use the Force. It also blurred his memories, as he could no longer clarify them with the usual Force meditation. Once we got him back to the Temple after the entire fiasco, and he was purged of the drugs, he had to spend months fixing a lifetime of memories."

She blinks slowly at the explanation. "So what would that mean for me?"

"If we are to assume that you can sort through your memories and isolate the blurred ones, I think you may be able to find your origins," he answers carefully. "But since they are from so long ago, it would be more like you were seeing someone else's life. And if you are able to view them, they would barely be what would be considered your developmental years anymore."

She shrugs. "I don't think it really matters anymore as it is."

"But it could help you to find your family," Obi-Wan informs her quietly, and she stiffens at that. "I can already see you care more for family than anything else."

She looks away for a moment, before looking back, meeting his blue gaze evenly. "Blood family is only related by blood if you don't know them. As far as I'm concerned… Ida and my adoptive parents are my family. And that family still has room to grow, and room to fall apart." She looks away once more. "I've had enough of this topic. What are the plans for when we land?"

The Jedi trade looks of irritation, before letting the conversation change topics. "Since you sent off Jar-Jar before we left the planet, we'll have a hard time getting in touch with the Gungans, and thus gathering any possible warriors we might need."

She rolls her eyes. "Didn't you think I thought of that before? We just track them from the most suitable body of water."

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Qui-Gon asks, knowing his own skills at tracking could use much improvement.

"Where would the Gungan nation feel the most hidden? The swamp as far from the human-inhabited cities," she explains slowly. "They are aquatic for the most part, so they would need a large space of water, or a hidden cavern leading to a larger body of water. Since you don't know the location of their city, it would have to be hidden deep underwater."

"But with the warning from Jar-Jar they might have evacuated," the Padawan points out.

"I was just getting to that," she mutters. "Since they would have probably have moved, they would go deeper into the swamp, or to an area on the border of the swamps. Possibly an area that was once inhabited, but still with a nearby body of water to cater to their amphibian nature." She turns to Qui-Gon, who is already eliminating locations from a mental map of the planet. "That sound like somewhere that exists on Naboo, or do I need to try a different route?"

He nods slowly. "There are a couple of old temples that are insignificant to most that I remember reading about as a youngling that fit your description perfectly. If we can fly over the possible locations, then we should be able to detect their location by their Force signatures." His eyes reflect the growing respect he holds for her. "You are a genius."

She giggles a little at that. "I've been told by my friends that sometimes I'm insane, and others that I'm a genius. There's a fine line between the two, Master Jinn, and I'm not sure where that line is for me." She slides off the bench, away from their curious gazes. "So, if you don't want me directly involved in the fight on the planet, then I'll look into piloting something and try blowing stuff up over the planet." With that, she vanishes into the bunkroom, finding herself alone with a sleeping Shmi.

With a small smile, she digs into her bag, pulling out a small iPod, earbuds, and a fresh outfit consisting of slightly too-large black jeans, a midnight blue tank top, and hair ties. Once she's replaced the blood-stained clothes with her fresh clothes, she falls into a bunk with a sigh, putting in her earbuds to listen to music, suddenly grateful for Luke's willingness to make a battery to charge her electronics safely and easily.

As the third song plays, pain lances through her skull, paralyzing Bekah.

 _She stares around the room, jerking at the hissing of a door opening to an older version of Padme entering what looks like a nursery. A smile of pure joy breaks the frown marring her expression, her eyes lighting up as she lifts a small child from a small bed with dark blue sheets._

" _Hello there, little Mae," she whispers to the gurgling child, who laughs as her 'mother' gently kisses her cheek. "Your big brother is here to see you," she whispers again, before walking from the small room, Bekah following her quickly._

 _She finds herself in a cozy living room, and a glance out the window shows her to be somewhere on Coruscant. "Miss Naberrie? Can I hold her?" a young boy's voice pulls Bekah's attention back inside. His hair is a tangled mess, and he has hazel eyes just like hers, if only a little darker. He's a little on the lean side, and probably working age. She stares at him in wonder, thinking… that familiar scar on his chin… is that Han Solo as a child?!_

" _Han, you can hold your sister now," she laughs gently, offering the child no more than three years old to him. As she does, the child reaches out for the familiar boy, clenching her hands and leaning towards him in a demand for his attention. "She's certainly happy to see you again."_

 _Han takes the child that appears to be his little sister. "Hello, Mae," he breathes, hugging the child gently as she snuggles into his hold. "Thanks for letting me see her so often."_

 _Padme smiles as she sits down next to Han. "You know I would adopt you as well to keep you two together if you would let me."_

Bekah shoots upright, only to whack her head painfully against the bottom of the bunk above her resting place. Clutching her head, she rolls onto the floor, gasping for breath as the pain drains away from her abused skull, leaving only her recently healed ribs and shoulder sore from her refusal to sit back and let others do everything.

 _A tall man, a much younger, and Jedi version of Vader smiles down at the child playing with his mechanical hand. "You are so entertained by the strangest of things, Mae," he whispers to her, using his other hand to brush her loose hair behind her ear, earning a bright smile from the little girl._

 _"Ani, you're home!" Padme cheers quietly as she enters her apartment._

 _"Mama!" Mae cries, turning to the woman and scrambling out of her 'father's' hold. "Mama, Daddy's home! He pway'd wi' me, and ga' me hugs, and le' me pway wi' twee-pee-oh an Lu' and Li and Ida!" she chatters, clinging to the woman's legs in an attempt to hug her mother figure._

 _Bekah smiles at the little chatterbox, and can't help but feel that this is how things were meant to be for little Anakin's future. The child is so innocent, so happy, she can't understand how she and Han could possibly be related, especially the Han she met before being dragged back in time._

 _"That's wonderful, Mae," Padme coos to her child, kneeling to pick up the four-year-old._

Shmi wakes at the sound of a thump, finding the seventeen-year-old who secured her freedom collapsed and wheezing on the ground. "Master Jinn!" she calls in alarm, rolling from her bunk to kneel beside the girl, resting a hand on her shoulder only to find her trembling.

The two Jedi hurry into the room, Qui-Gon already finding that the girl's mental shields have fallen rather suddenly. "Her meditation must have triggered her memory," he whispers to his Padawan. "She will have to come out of this on her own."

"Isn't there a way to help her with this, Master?" Obi-Wan asks, worried for the girl struggling to breathe, yet staring unseeingly in his general direction. "There was something you did when I got lost while fixing my memories, but you never explained it to me. It could help her."

"What I did had me in trouble for months with the Council, Obi-Wan. The memories of a person are meant to always remain private, and unseen by outsiders, and I barged into your mind to against their wishes." He stares into his Padawan's unflinching gaze. "If the Council finds out, you will have to cite personal experience with her situation, and I will have to confirm it. But finding you in your mind took days when it happened."

"We have the time until we reach Naboo. There's at least two more days left, I think I can do it in that amount of time," Obi-Wan insists, reaching out to grasp the prone girl's hand. "I can do this Master." He whispers with conviction.

"Then may the Force be with you," the Master intones, as he watches his apprentice fall into the forbidden trance. "Shmi, I need you to keep them in constant contact as I move them onto the bunk."

In the time of the Empire

Han sighs as he glares at the hyperdrive, glitching just as Bekah had guessed the previous week. "How did that kid get to know this ship so well again?" he asks Luke, who stands beside him holding a toolbox.

Luke sighs and shakes his head. "I really can't answer that either. How did she always know how to beat me in lightsaber practice without breaking a sweat?" His comm-link chimes, and he depresses the small button as he raises the device to speak into it. "Skywalker," he calls clearly, voice stronger than he feels at the moment, a fact not lost on Han as he too feels the same way.

"Skywalker, is Solo with you?" one of the techs assisting the medical droids, Travar Tarek, inquires in a voice filled with confusion.

Both men frown at the inquiry. "Yeah, why?"

"The test on the hair sample he brought us a few days ago has a partial DNA match to his own. The person's name is Mae Solo-Skywalker, adopted child of Anakin and Padme Amidala Skywalker, abducted in the middle of the Clone Wars, about a year before Padme is recorded as becoming pregnant with you and your sisters. Mae was close to three years old at the time of her disappearance."

Han's eyes widen as his breath catches in his throat, shock, joy, confusion, and fear running rampant through his mind. "What… are you absolutely certain?" Luke asks for his tentative friend.

"Absolutely, the records on her were never altered by the Empire, and they still proclaim her as the missing child of a proclaimed political hero," Tarak informs them both.

Han blinks slowly. "The hair I gave you was taken from Rebekah Minter's pillow," he whispers.

The girl's behavior suddenly makes sense to him: why her personality reminded all of himself, how she seemed to take quickly to him and Chewie, how she could predict what he was about to say… and why he liked her so much from the start. He can still remember the day when Padme told him of his sister's kidnapping, and reading the note left behind by her kidnappers. He remembers the unfamiliar sense of loss that hadn't bothered him when their mother left them in an orphanage when his sister was barely four months old, running off with some other person he couldn't be bothered to remember the name of. A loss he still carried to this day, along with the last picture the two of them had taken together with her adoptive parents, whom he had refused to allow to adopt him at the time.

Tarak clears his throat nervously. "Minter? The one that ran out with Amidala in the middle of the fight?"

"Yeah, that's her," Luke answers hoarsely.

"You do know that the spies have reported that both of them and Darth Vader have gone missing, right?" he asks quickly. "All three vanished from the infirmary just after Minter was taken from the bacta tank, and she was being questioned by Vader himself."

"Everyone knew Vader was missing, but the girls have vanished too?" Han asks hotly, glaring at the comm-link.

The tech sounds nervous at Han's heated tone. "The security footage shows some kind of vortex appearing by each of them, and pulling them in, before vanishing. Like nothing was there in the first place."

"Was it a glowing blue portal?" Luke asks curiously, but warily.

"Yeah," Tarak responds, shocked at the question. "How did you know?"

"Because that's how Rebekah Minter arrived on the Liberty two months ago," he whispers, before pressing he button once more. "Han… I didn't know you had a little sister… or that my mother adopted anyone."

He receives a sad smirk from the smuggler. "It's not something I really talk about, but I actually got on with your parents when I was a few years younger than you. I didn't let them adopt me since I was happy working, but I wanted her to have a real childhood."

"Tell me about it sometime?" the younger asks quietly.

Han stares at him for a long moment. "Someday, kid. I promise."

 _Don't own Star Wars!_


	17. Chapter 17

Millenium Falcon

"You sure about this, old man?" Han asks as he stares at the Jedi before him, seated with Luke and Leia on either side while Han stands with Chewie at his side across from them over the Dejarik table. "I'm not thrilled with us just flying out of here and going to the Emperor's homeplanet. It's suicide!" Chewie roars in agreement.

Obi-Wan shakes his head. "I have a feeling that we should go there. I'm not sure why, but it feels as though we are… almost needed there."

Han closes his eyes and sighs, unwilling to look at the two of three remaining triplets. "High Command authorize this little trip?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Leia murmurs quietly, leaning forward to rest her elbows against the table. "They want us to track the three others down, and try to bring back the girls."

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Han whispers to Chewie, who huffs and stares back at his long-time friend. "Alright, grab what you'll need. We're heading out once we've got clearance."

Obi-Wan shakes his head. "We've already brought our things aboard and secured clearance for immediate departure."

Han grumbles about 'Jedi tricks' as he and Chewie make their way up to the cockpit, and even as they make it out of the docking bay.

Chewie's roar of confusion and fear fills the cockpit as the ship is engulfed in a swirling blue portal.

29 Years Ago

Luke's eyes widen as he stares out of the cockpit at the blockade before them, surrounding Naboo with the types of ships he had only seen in history classes when they went through the times before the Clone Wars.

"Ben…?" he asks slowly, as his Master's eyes widen, pain filling him and echoing over their bond.

"I remember this," he whispers, clenching his shaking fists as a silver ship streaks past them, carrying one of the Force signatures of the people they are searching for. "Follow that ship," he orders Han, who complies at the dangerous tone.

They speed past, and Bekah's eyes snap open, staring at nothing as she recognizes the presence of everyone on the ship they just passed over the planet. "Not good," she whispers, before focusing on where she is.

Her head rests on a brown-clad shoulder as she rests on her side, her left arm pinned under torso as the arm attached to the shoulder is pinned under her head and neck. Her right hand is clasped loosely in a warm, tanned hand. Moving her head slowly and wincing at the stiffness of muscles unused for days, she looks up to find Obi-Wan waking up as well, staring down at her in horror.

"I thought you were overexaggerating about your homeworld," he whispers, the knowledge she holds being more vicious even in writing he couldn't understand properly. "I understand so much more now, but at the same time a lot less."

Bekah frowns at him. "How so?"

"The script you use there, on Earth. It's spoken the same, and listening to the reading aloud helped me to know what was being read, but that's a language we've never encountered before," he informs her slowly, shifting his pinned arm gently to wrap over her shoulders. "It's called English?"

"Yeah, but I never noticed a writing difference, so I'm thinking I learned to read before I was abandoned." She sighs and returns to looking at the bunk wall on Obi-Wan's other side. "I really don't think it was a good idea to try fixing my memories now," she whispers, closing her eyes.

"Never regret wanting to know," he orders, shocked she would have a regret over such a simple thing. "You have every right to know what happened to you."

She shifts, and moves her legs to drape over the edge of the bunk, out of the Padawan's grip. "Doesn't mean I have to act on that desire though, Obi-Wan. We're about to land," she mutters, standing and stretching a bit before strapping on her blaster holster and clipping her lightsaber to her belt. "How much did you see of my life?"

He winces at the question. "Enough," he tells her after a moment, before Qui-Gon enters the bunkroom. "Master?" he asks, seeing the alarm in his eyes.

"Padawan, Bekah, we've been followed down by a group that appeared out of nowhere. I sensed Force users, but they aren't attempting to comm us. They'll be landing close to us," he states calmly, but his eyes give away his worry.

Bekah reaches out and gasps in recognition. "How the hell did they get here?!" she breathes, slipping past the tall Jedi and running to the opening ramp, jumping out and watching as the familiar circular disaster called the _Millenium Falcon_ touches down barely far enough away from her to be safe. The ramp opens and a furious shouting reaches her ears over the whining of the engines shutting down.

"That's our sister, old man! You won't touch her!" Han's voice echoes out, followed quickly by the man himself, then Luke and Leia. "Bekah?" he asks, before running up to her and engulfing her in his arms. "Don't you dare do that again, kid!" he growls in her ear, the sagging relief in his stance betraying the anger his words imply.

She blinks at the affection before wrapping her arms around him gently. "Han, what are you doing here? How did you get here?"

He huffs a laugh. "The moment we flew out of the hangar bay, the blue portal showed up right in front of the _Falcon_ , so I didn't have the chance to fly around it before we got pulled in."

Then his words take hold from the shouting. "Wait… who is whose sister?" she asks, curious about the fighting and trying to broach the subject gently as the elder Obi-Wan exits the ship, glaring sternly at her.

"You are," he informs her lowly. "I found a hair on your pillow the day after you left, and since you were familiar, I asked the medical droids to test it against my own. I didn't say who it belonged to, and funny enough, your real name is Mae Solo-Skywalker. Adopted by Anakin and Padme, vanished around third birthday, and still registered as missing by the Empire."

She stares at him incredulously, mouth hanging open in shock. "H-how…? What…" she stumbles for words for a moment, before closing her eyes. "Listen, I'll ask you about this later. Right now, we're in a bit of a crisis."

"Yes, and I remember every detail of this crisis," the old Jedi murmurs, walking up next to them as Han loosens his grip on his sister. "This is the day I lost my Master to a Sith Apprentice while helplessly stuck behind an ion shield." He stares at the ship, and the Jedi pair racing out to catch up to Bekah.

She frowns at the new information. "Things are changed already, Ben," she whispers. "Listen, you need to follow along with the story, okay? Han and Chewie can keep their story and names. Ben, you're gonna have to say you're Ben Lars, Luke and Leia, your last name is Sky. My name is Bekah Ree, Darth Vader is just Vader, and Amidala is Ida Sky. And for goodness sake stick to that!" she whispers harshly, before turning to wave the Jedi pair over.

"Bekah, who are these people?" the younger Obi-Wan asks, eyeing them with no small amount of wariness.

She smiles slightly. "These are some people that I am… acquainted with. Luke and Leia Sky, yes they are Ida's siblings, yes they are triplets, and yes they are Vader's children. This ruffian is Han Solo, apparently my brother, his first mate Chewbacca. This last one is Ben Lars, the man who taught me how to use the Force and fighting."

"What little you let me teach you," he grumbles, though somewhat fondly.

She rolls her eyes and continues. "Everyone, this is Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she stares at Luke, who gets the message and doesn't react outwardly. "They helped me out when I landed in the middle of the forest on Endor while on their first trip here."

"Master Jinn, is everything alright?" Captain Panaka calls from the boarding ramp, standing stiffly as he eyes the possible threat to his charge.

Bekah nods at the Master who eyes her questioningly, and he turns to the man guarding the ship entrance. "Just a miscommunication, there is no threat to Her Highness."

The man relaxes immediately, before leading the group off the ship, Padme with Shmi and Anakin right beside her. "Bekah!" the nine-year-old cries, running up to her. She kneels in time for him to slam into her, hugging her fiercely. All but him notice the wince of pain on his impact, and her struggle to remain upright. "I was so worried!"

She smiles softly, even as her muscles are suddenly reminded of the abuse from the electricity not even a week past. "I'm okay now, Anakin."

"Is there something you're forgetting to tell us, Bekah?" Leia asks, frowning at the small boy in confusion.

Anakin releases her and she rises slowly, wincing again. "Well… it's a bit of a story. I can fill you in while we go searching for the Gungans."

"You should stay with the ship, both you and Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon cuts in, frowning. "I can tell you're still recovering from being electrocuted, and on top of that being pulled out of your own mind is taxing on top of having lost as much blood as you did from that blaster wound."

"What?!" Han and Luke shout, staring at the girl in front of them, who huffs in indignance.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she mutters, crossing her arms. "I can still help. I know where the hidden corridors are, they won't think to try blocking them since they don't know about them."

"I don't like the idea of you doing this," Padme cuts in before the Jedi can reply. "You've done more than enough for us, and this isn't even your fight."

"I want to help," she informs the younger girl. "You'll need every advantage you can get."

Ben steps up. "You're of no use if you're only injuring yourself further. You're already in a lot of pain, as I see it."

"I'll be fine," she grumbles, not looking up to meet anyone's eyes.

Leia sighs. "You're even more impossible than Han," she mutters, before turning to them. "We can still help, if you'll let us."


	18. Epilogue

Space over Naboo

She stares for a second at the battle taking place over Naboo, before turning to her father in the ship next to her own. "Shall we, Dad?" Ida asks.

"After you," he calls back to her, before they dive into battle. They both shoot down the ships chasing the one Nubian fighter that seems to have a mind of its own, a Force user within fighting for control with the ship with the aid of an astromech.

"ANAKIN SKYWALKER!" an angry voice screams over the comms of every fighter. "IF THERE'S EVEN A SCRATCH ON THAT DEATH TRAP YOU'LL BE SORRY!"

"Well, I think we know who he's listening to," Ida comments lightly.

"IDA?!"

"Yes, now calm down Bekah, I'm trying to focus up here, and so is Dad."

An angry growl follows the request. "You're lucky I'm in the middle of the palace right now, the lot of you."

"You're lucky you're not in front of me, young lady!" Vader growls. "We are having a serious conversation after this is over, do you understand?"

A smash, and cry of surprise echo out, before a crunch and dead silence ring out from her end. "I think she's in trouble, Master," the young Obi-Wan's voice fills the silence. "Shall I look for her?"

"Chewie and I will go find my sister," Han Solo's voice responds.

"Dad, is it just me, or did I really just hear Han Solo say _his_ sister?"

Palace in Theed

Bekah glares furiously at the Nemoidian she's forced into kneeling before by the droids.

"Well, if she isn't a Jedi, what is she?" the one who seems to be the leader asks, looking down at her, acting far superior to what his cowardly nature usually permits.

She just stares up at them, and they are suddenly met with eyes fading from a warm hazel into an ugly, sickly yellow they've only seen in the two Sith. "Your worst nightmare," she whispers, grinning and laughing without mirth.

The leaders back away in fear, before signaling the droids to take her away. She continues to laugh before the windows, the strongest transparisteel available, implodes, showering them all with shards of the material.

She blinks owlishly, unable to think clearly from the roaring in her ears, hardly able to see from the impression of the light in her eyes. She can feel the sharp edges digging into her body, a trickle of warmth down her cheek, filling her mouth, and a sharp pain in her stomach. She can sense more than hear the pained screams and movement of the leaders of the Trade Federation, can feel the weight of crumpled metal over her prone form. Her eyes close as she reaches out to her surroundings, forming a mental image of her surroundings. Two beings, a man and a Wookie, looking into the room, another charge in hand, ready to throw at a seconds notice. Another two, Jedi, run in their direction, weapons drawn and activated, looking slightly worse for wear. The queen, dressed as her own handmaiden, follows with her guard, eyes wide and a cut on the side of her neck.

"What was that?" she asks, peering into the remains of her throne room.

"A charge we found on one of the droids. Turned out to pack more of a punch than we thought," Han answers, before stepping into the room. "We heard Bekah in here, but I don't know where they took her."

She nudges the more familiar presence of the two Jedi, and pulls at his mind as her senses register the agony her body is in once more. "Master!" he shouts, following her fading Force pull.

Qui-Gon follows after his charge, finally seeing a growing pool of red under a small pile of rubble.

One of the Jedi fighters flies in through a ruined wall, landing where the throne once rested, another quickly following and revealing Vader and Ida Sky, jumping out and racing over to the center of their attention.

"Bekah!" she screams, ripping away the heap of stone over the top of the pile, as Vader pulls the rubble away from the sides, revealing first a blood-stained hand, followed by an arm, then unseeing yellow eyes blinking slowly, light dimming even as the weight is removed from her body. "No, stay with me!" she cries as the eyes strain to open again, trying to breathe and mend the worst of her injuries as the other Force users provide their aid in unburying the girl.

Please tell me if you want a sequel! It'll be a bit of angst, and a the prophecy from earlier in the story will come true, and it will be an Obi-WanxBekah ship.

Reviews are greatly appreciated, my friends!


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